Phyre in Ponyville
by TOO SOBER
Summary: Heart Phyre and Halo Phyre are loving sisters, but due to unfortunate family circumstances, must leave their home city of Buckson and move to Ponyville. A great new life awaits them in the haphazard town of Ponyville, mystery and adventure, friendship and hardships. Their relationship as siblings will be put to the test with their new adventures! Please Read & Review!
1. Chapter 1

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust

Story Written by: TOOS0BER

Episode 1: Phyre in Ponyville

Heart Phyre felt the exhaustion as she hauled the cumbersome wagon full of supplies and personal belongings. The sun, nearing its noontime apex, bearing down on her without mercy in the middle of summer. While the dirt roads weren't all that smooth, it beats asphalt. Back in the big city she had originated from, Buckson, the paved roads would be hot enough to cook a five star Canterlot breakfast this time of year.

_Ugh, what I wouldn't give for a cool glass of cider right about now. _Heart Phyre thought miserably, the mental image of an ice cold apple cider haunting her, wiping sweat from her brow. She scratched at her neck, where her fiery orange mane stuck uncomfortably to her neck. _Oh dangit, I'm definitely hitting the shower as soon as we get set up._

Speaking of _we_, Heart slowed to a halt and scanned the nearby horizon for any sign of her little sister. The green and grassy hills bore no sign of the orange little filly, and no silhouette framed in the clear blue sky. Instead of fear, which Heart would have felt in a massive city like Buckson, she would be frantically hollering for her sister. Instead feeling only slightly annoyed that the younger filly had disobeyed her...again.

Then _again_, it wasn't a surprise.

_She'll turn up eventually, _sighing as she continued the journey through the elegant hills. She was only a short distance away from a grove of trees, but it seemed to take an eternity to get there in the dry summer drought. Of course there wasn't _really_ a drought, exaggerating the circumstances somehow made misery a bit more bearable.

Heart rejoiced as she finally arrived at the grove. The trees were beautiful, not because they were healthy and green, but because their plump leaves provided precious shelter from the blistering heat. Heart eagerly unstrapped her body from the yoke and trotted under the nearest branch. Allowing her Pegasi wings, which had been crushed under the unforgiving strap for many long hours, to decompress and relax. She collapsed on her stomach, her screaming muscles tamed.

"Ah," She sighed, her eyes closed. "That's nice..."

"Well it's about TIME!" The shrill voice from nowhere made Heart Phyre jump half out of her skin, high enough to bop the lowest branch, and crash back down in a heap.

When the dizziness passed, she glared up to the source. A creamy orange skinned filly with an unkempt reddish-orange mane smiling impishly down at her from the canopy of the tree, very pleased that her scare tactic had worked.

"Halo Phyre!" Heart grumbled. "How many times have I told you not to wander off like that. I know we're not in Buckson anymore, but it's still very dangerous out here in the wild!" Chastised the older sibling, rubbing her sore head with one hoof. "What if you got hurt?"

The spirited filly just rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's only a bit of fun!" Halo let herself drop from the tree, gracefully catching herself on her wings just two feet from the ground, and hovered a safe distance from her disgruntled sister. "Besides, what could _possibly_ be dangerous out here?" She gestured with a hoof at the surrounding meadows, grassy green hilltops, and in general the most beautiful countryside ever.

"Well," Heart Phyre struggled to find a reason why she was right. Giving in, she shrugged and said apologetically. "I guess nothing is _that_ dangerous out here, but still you should stay within eyesight." Heart made her point.

"Yeah okay," Halo landed softly next to her sister.

Suddenly, Heart lunged at the surprised filly and reeled her in close. Halo yelped, trying in vain to escape.

"Gotta pay you back for the new lump on my head!" With a devious smile, Heart starts rubbing her joker of a sister on the head, giving her a hoofy nuggie.

"Nuggie, nuggie, nuggie!" Evil mocking laughter as the assault continued.

"Ow! Stop that! Hahaha!"

"Come on now! That's your payback!"

"Yeah? Haha, I want a refund! Owwwww, hahaha!" Halo flailed back and forth, but the older sister had a firm hold on the little filly.

Another several seconds of intense nuggying go by before Heart finally releases her little sister, satisfied. Halo, scrambled and sprawled on the ground, desperately putting distance between them before lifting herself into the air. She tried to grimace, but the grin stayed present.

"Oh you know I hate that!" Even though she is smiling broadly, a mock glare in her eyes.

"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time! Hah!" Heart jumps up and points in triumph, enjoying Halo's discomfort. "Or maybe you should stay out of the kitchen if you can't take the heat!" Heart laughed at her own crude pun while Halo readjusted the yellow bow tied in her mane.

"So, are we there yet?" Halo asks semi-innocently. Pretending that she hasn't been annoying her big sister with that very same question ever since they left the Buckson city limits. Heart didn't dignify that question with an answer. Instead, she rolled her eyes while shaking her head.

"We'll be there soon." Heart Phyre walked slowly toward the wagon and began searching the contents. After a few moments of intense searching, she returns with a large rolled parchment in her mouth. Heart sits down on the grass under the protective shade of the tree, rolling out the map when Halo lands in front and sits between her sister's hind legs.

"Okay," Heart studies the map intensely, then looks around at the horizon. "If I am reading this thing right, that should be Sweet Apple Acres over there." She points her hoof towards a long stretch of land with a grove of trees in a neat and tidy grid pattern, glistening with apple fruit. "And Ponyville should be over this next..." Heart grimaced as she looked in the right direction. The next hill was by far the largest in the valley. "...hilltop.

"Oh darn it..." Sighing with exhaustion. "How am I going to drag that cart over _that_..." Heart lets the weakness in her legs get the best of her, falling down over top the map, Halo escapes narrowly from being pinned.

"Can't you fly the cart over?" Halo asks, perplexed that she hadn't considered this option.

Heart Phyre's reply is a downtrodden glare. "You know I can't do that." She says, despite being a Pegasus like her little sister.

"Oh," Halo covers her mouth with a hoof for a moment, forgetting her sister's condition. "Oh yeah, sorry I forgot."

Heart sighs and groans as she sits back up. "Well, that cart won't move itself." She slowly gets up and heads for the wagon. She's stopped when Halo zips down and blocks her path mid hover. Halo rarely actually traverses on the ground.

"You rest okay?" She says adamantly, hooves outstretched. "You've been working hard all day."

"No," Heart slowly shakes her head. "We need to get to Ponyville, I can handle-" She's interrupted by an intense rumbling from her stomach. She looks down in surprise, then back at Halo, who has now crossed her hooves and simply stares at her.

"Halo..." She starts, but she falters under her sister's stare.

"I'll fly over to the orchard and get you some apples," Halo suggests. "I'll be back lickity split."

Heart sighs and smiles warmly at her sister's generous offer. "All right." She concedes.

The two share a quick hug before Halo darts off in the distance with a small pouch of coin tied around her neck. Heart Phyre waits until she disappears in the distance before sitting down with the maps again. She sighs again and thinks about the loving friendship Halo and herself share, hoping it never ends.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

The world looked so much better from above. So much more was visible for miles in every direction. From the grassy knoll hilltops and the flowery meadows, to the snowcapped mountains and even the glistening blue lakes, truly a marvel for the scale of the Equestria. Was it even possible to appreciate this from the ground? Halo didn't think so, not one bit.

Flying had come natural to her, from the day her wings were strong enough. Even so, Halo couldn't help but feel a twang of regret every time she took to the air. Halo has never seen her older sister fly. When Halo first asked about it some time ago, she didn't get a straight answer, and never has. Asking Heart Phyre why she didn't fly the cart was the latest in a mile-long rap sheet of attempts to convince her that flying was the best thing ever.

Halo sighed, "Someday..."

Letting the renewed promise fall to the curbside, Halo refocused on finding the nearby orchard. It wasn't hard to spot. Rows upon rows of near perfectly straight trees dotted several hilltops for what seemed like miles, all of them packed full with plump, delicious apples. Perfect.

A short distance away, the ocean of fruit bearing trees gave way to a clearing and several farm buildings became visible. Barn, house, silos and many other buildings that most likely belonged to the owners of the magnificent orchard. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby as Halo Phyre made her approach, touching down quickly but gently.

"Wow," She said. "there's so many apples." Glancing back and forth at the dozens and dozens of trees.

"Well of course there are!" Came a melodious voice, heavy with country hospitality. Halo half jumped out of her skin. "It's an apple orchard ain't it?" Halo glanced behind her and was greeted by the warm smile of a blond-maned pony wearing a cowpony hat approaching from the tree line; two heavy baskets of, naturally, apples on her back.

The pony paused and looked quizzically at Halo. "Ah don't believe ah've seen you 'round here my little filly." She paused, holding out a slightly dusty hoof. "Name's Applejack. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres."

Halo reached out in kind, grasping the larger hoof. Halo's small body vibrated as Applejack vigorously shook her hoof. "H-hello, I'm H-Halo Ph-Phyre. I'm n-new!"

Applejack finally let go of Halo's hoof. The little filly, dizzy and disoriented, fell back on her backside before the world got back on its feet.

"Pleased to meet ya."

"I'd hate to be rude, but could I buy some apples?" Halo went straight to the point, aware that Heart would be waiting. "I don't want to keep a hungry mouth waiting."

"Oh of course!" The cowpony set down the basket of apples, revealing the three small red apples on her flank. "Not ta be nosy, but where ya from? Any family? Been a while since anypony new passed through these parts."

"Yeah, I'm moving to Ponyville with my older sister."

"Moving huh? Whereabouts from?"

"Oh, just some boring big city..." Halo said casually, no real desire to discuss home.

Applejack stopped just in front of the massive farm barn. The barn itself seemed in good shape, it was likely recently painted as the coat was pristine. The cowpony entered the barn and returned moments later with a gift sized basket of apples. "Consider this your welcome to Ponyville present form the Apple family." Applejack said after putting the bowl of luscious fruit at Halo's feet.

Halo couldn't believe her ears. Nopony in Buckson ever just gave away gifts that weren't for a holiday or special occasion! She couldn't help but gasp and grin from ear to ear.

"Wow! Really?"

Applejack simply nodded, that warm smile ever present. "Awe shucks, it ain't nothin'...really."

_'Ain't nothin'? Was she serious? _Halo thought in disbelief.

Halo hesitated for a moment and glanced back at Applejack. The pony tilted her head, patiently waiting.

"Um," The shock hadn't quite worn off yet. "Thanks a bushel!" Was the lame pun Halo came up with. Surprisingly, Applejack chuckled rather generously. A rare, warm feeling developed inside Halo's chest. One that she felt very solemnly, and only around her big sister.

Deciding she had overstayed her welcome, probably an over-exaggeration if this pony was genuinely this kind, Halo took the woven grass handle in her mouth and turned to leave. Halo paused, conscious of the suspicious habit that had developed while she lived in Buckson, and feeling disappointed in herself for not being more trusting. She flapped her wings and began takeoff.

Halo was already a distance away, but not far enough to not hear Applejack's short goodbye. There was that warm feeling again. The little orange pegasus waved a hoof back at the cowpony, but doubted she had seen it.

_Things are going to be awesome, _Halo thought, smiling to herself. _From now on...I can feel it!_

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

"Oof!" Heart Phyre jumped up from her dreamless slumber underneath the trees. "Ugh, how long was I out." She rubbed her sleepy eyes with her arm, trying to gauge the time. It couldn't have been long, the sun's position was essentially the same. A half hour, maybe. Obviously the cat nap wasn't enough, as a massive yawn forced it's way from Heart's maw. The journey was taking a serious toll on her, but it would soon be over.

Heart admired the scenery until, off in the distance, a spec made itself known on the blue horizon. Since the spec was not moving across the horizon, it was likely headed straight towards her. Heart narrowed her eyes, she smiled as she recognized the large yellow bow tied atop Halo's fiery orange mane. Heart staggered up onto all four hooves, the exhaustion still present as her stomach repeatedly begged for food.

Moments later, Halo landed next to the cart and skipped the rest of the way to her waiting sister. Heart was surprised to see a basket in her maw with probably a dozen apples inside.

"You bought a whole basket's worth?" Heart Phyre asked, a little surprised but definitely pleased.

"Mo ma mphony mamed-" Halo paused, forgetting the basket was still in her mouth, promptly setting it on the ground before continuing. "No, a pony named Applejack gave them to me!" She finished, a large grin plastered on her face.

"She just _gave _them to you?" Heart asked in disbelief.

"I know right? Kind of weird huh?"

"I'll say."

Heart Phyre stared awkwardly at the apples. Not sure what to think of this odd gesture of kindness. Back in Buckson next to nopony showed such generosity and friendliness. It was considered lucky just to get so much as a hello from a random pony walking down the street, let alone a generous gift. For a moment, Heart's suspicion dictated her imagination, coming up with various sorts of nonsense and paranoid warnings. She sighed, closing her eyes, letting the world disappear for a moment; an inward look at herself. Did her life in Buckson really make her this distrustful, so much so that fear and paranoia could surface so easily?

Heart banished the thought from her head. Ponyville wasn't Buckson, but could the change from a massive city to a small town make that much difference? She certainly hoped so.

_Rumble..._

That grumbling again. Heart's eyes jumped open to look at the apples again, and then at her sister. Halo's expression had changed from carefree joy to a look of confusion and uncertainty; likely trying to figure out what was going on in her head.

As if to read her mind, Halo said plainly. "Applejack was very nice."

That would have to be good enough. Heart smiled at her sweet sister, and then at the apples she had went through the trouble to get for her.

"I'm sure she is," Heart said. "we'll have to visit and thank Applejack properly when we get settled down. But for now..." Staring at the apples again, with an intense hunger. "Let's eat."

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

If the countryside around Ponyville was beautiful, Ponyville itself was amazing. True, the small town was nowhere near as big as Buckson, but what it lacked in size it made up for in beauty. The classic wooden structures painted in various colors and sheens outdid even the fanciest buildings in Buckson; which weren't fancy at all, being nothing but brick and concrete. The streets were decorated with trees, flowers and other stunning shrubbery. Even the faces of everypony was different. Everypony had some degree of a smile on their faces. Ponies were laughing and talking merrily, while they shopped in the open markets. There was also a total absence of vehicular traffic; since Ponyville was so much smaller than Buckson, the need for massive taxi workforce was practically nonexistent.

So much contrast, so much difference, it was staggering.

Heart Phyre couldn't help but gaze this way and that as she waded her way through town. Even though it was just after mid day, the streets were not packed with ponies. As it would have been this time of day in Buckson. Still, Heart had to concentrate on steering; one pony could maneuver easily, but a pony with a large, four wheel cart was another story.

Once or twice she had almost run somepony over because she was taking in the scenery. Much to Halo's enjoyment, who laughed at her every time. Even Halo was greatly enjoying the sight of Ponyville. Exclaiming multiple times that it was going to be "awesome". Heart assumed she meant living here.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Halo screamed as she zipped this way and that, examining everything from daisies on the ground to the golden hay roofs of the various shops and houses. "I can't believe we get to live HERE!" She exclaimed, briefly hovering around her sister on the ground, a joyful grin on her face.

"Yeah it's-" Halo zipped away to guffaw at a colorful fruit stand before Heart could finish. Smiling and continuing to herself. "-unbelievable."

It truly was unbelievable. She had heard good things about Ponyville, but this was beyond her wildest imagination. Heart Phyre sighed in contentment, her heart warm with excitement of a new life.

Heart cut the moment short as she thought about the task before her. She needed to locate the house she had purchased, and turn it into their new home. No easy task.

Ponyville wasn't hard to navigate either, despite the lack of street signs. Every corner was unique and different, therefore it was easy to know where you were. Finding the correct street and finally the matching house, took no time at all. In truth, it was two buildings in one. The bottom floor had a double door, with large clear window panes in the front, perfect to set up her dream shop; it even had a nice wooden patio and some elegantly carved benches to rest on. The second and third floors were to be their real home; simple windows with artistic wooden shutters on both floors, and the roof ending with a stonework chimney. That was possibly the best part, and what made it such an appealing choice. No distance to travel from work and home.

"Worth every bit," Heart Phyre said as she gazed at their new home.

Heart unstrapped herself from the yoke again, going against her gut feeling to leave the cart unattended, something she wouldn't do in Buckson. She started off towards the house, eager to see the interior, when movement caught her eye. She looked to her left and was greeted by a pink pony...a _very_ pink pony, with perhaps the most spontaneous mane style she had ever seen. Strangest of all, was that she was _hopping_.

Heart Phyre just stood there until the pony came to a stop in front of her, wearing a bright smile.

A few moments passed and neither said anything. Heart Phyre felt her ears fold back and the air grow heavy, the feeling of awkwardness swelling in her chest. She looked around, trying to find some distraction or escape; something, anything.

Heart Phyre gulped, and was about to say hello when the strange pony suddenly leaned back and pointed a hoof at her. The joyful smile replaced by what seemed like a screaming, open mouth expression. Phyre's heart skipped a beat, and before she could comprehend what was going on, the pony dashed away, leaving Heart Phyre very, very confused...and disheartened.

_I'm here for less than a day and I'm already disliked,_ like a spear through the heart, that thought was. The scenery may be different, but the ponies were still the same. Heart Phyre bowed her head, suddenly very interested in the ground, wishing she could disappear into it.

"What was that about?" Halo had seen the whole thing, and now hovered next to her with a quizzical look on her face .

Heart wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she lowered her head even more and closed her emerald eyes, grateful that the world was gone. Even if only superficially.

"Oh, don't do that," Heart felt a hoof patting her shoulder. "Just because _one _pony acts..." a short pause as Halo tried to find the right word. "...weird, doesn't mean everypony will."

Heart lifted her head and looked at her caring sister, a slight smile creasing her mouth.

"Right," Heart said, feeling a bit better. "I guess-"

Heart was interrupted again when Halo suddenly zipped off with that impish grin reappearing on her face, and screaming something about apples. She turned to see Halo hovering near a pony with a cowpony hat on. They chatted enthusiastically for a few moments, then the pony started towards her.

"Well howdy!" The pony said as she approached, wearing a warm smile. "You must be Heart Phyre. Pleased to meet ya!" She held out her hoof.

"Uh, hello," Heart Phyre thought her arm was going to dislocate, so vigorously the pony shook her arm.

"This is Applejack, she's the one that gave me the apples!" Laughing as Heart recovered.

"Oh shucks, it was nothing." Applejack said, seemingly embarrassed; crossing her forelegs.

"It wasn't nothing." Heart said sincerely, her smile returning. "It was very thoughtful of you."

"The least ah can do," Applejack grinned. "Do ya need help unloadin'?" She gestured at the wooden cart full of their stuff. "Where ya from?"

"Well, we're from Buckson, and we-" Another interruption. A squeal of excitement from her left. Another pony was trotting up to her now. Well, not really a pony, a unicorn. A beautiful white coat with an elegant, curly purple mane and matching tail. Three shimmering jewels decorating her flank.

The mystery pony gasped, "Did you say you were from _Buckson_?" Getting a little too close for Heart's comfort.

"Umm, yes?" She replied nervously.

The white pony _fainted_, then immediately got back up.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself," She slightly bowed her head, giving Heart a clear view of her manicured horn. "I am Rarity." Striking an elegant pose to finish.

"Uh, I'm Heart Phyre."

"Yes, yes, of course you are," Rarity said almost dismissively with a wave of her hoof. "You simply must tell me all about Buckson! What's the fashion trend there right now? What's the quality of the salons there? How many models are in that area, and who are they?" Rarity advanced while Heart Phyre retreated step by step.

"Uh," Heart couldn't give an answer. She was never into the whole fashion scene, with the exception of the yellow bow and matching collared vest she wore. Truth be told, if she were to get more into clothes, she'd go after more simpler fair than dresses and gowns. The thought of wearing such attire made her a little...queasy.

Then she started on Heart's clothes.

"Oh my what a darling little bow, and it matches your vest! How delightful!" Rarity weaved this way and that, looking at her from every conceivable angle. "Hmm, perhaps a nice gown or cape that could go with that? Oh the possibilities with your lovely coat. Oh and perhaps a new mane style! You simply must stop by my boutique."

"Uh, maybe I can-" Heart stopped mid-sentence as she bumped into something, or rather, some_pony_. A yellow coated Pegasus, with a flowing light pink mane partially covering her face and obscuring her half closed, almost sleepy cerulean eyes.

"Hello..." The new pony squeaked meekly.

"Uh hi," Heart's pulse slowed. For once somepony wasn't in her face asking questions...

"Hi!" Halo appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "We're new here, from Buckson!"

"Ohh," The new pony perked up. "Buckson? I've never been there before. Is it green and beautiful and filled with cute fuzzy creatures just like here?" She asked, her voice squeaky and small.

"Well, no," Heart Phyre stated, easing up. "There's very little greenery inside the city, just sidewalks and bricks. There aren't really any animals...other than rats." Heart finished with a nervous smile.

The other pony, after hearing this, lowered her own head, downtrodden. Her ears now folded behind her head, and she scratched at the ground a couple times with her hoof. She weakly replied, "Oh," while backing away slowly.

_Did I say something wrong?_ Heart thought, sincerely believing she had somehow hurt the other pony's feelings...somehow. If she was disheartened before, she definitely was now. If her ears folded back anymore, they'd disappear into her head.

Before she could even attempt an apology, a strong wind interrupted, almost blowing Heart Phyre off her feet. She searched the sky, there wasn't a single ominous storm cloud to be found, a perfect day. Which made sense, most of the settlements in Equestria had a contingent of Pegasi adhering to a strict weather schedule. But then...where did that sudden gust come from?

As she was gazing up at the empty blue sky, a multicolored blur streaked across her vision, disappearing just as quickly. Then it went by again, and again, and _again_. Whatever it was, it was _fast_ and agile. Heart must be hallucinating, as she could have sworn that the little rainbow colored blur was shouting _woohoo!_

The dash disappeared again. Heart squinted, trying to spot the anomaly in the direction she last saw it. A small blue spec materialized, growing larger, and larger...and larger still. She could make out wings, bright red eyes, and a rainbow colored mane. It was a Pegasus, performing some stunt or something...and heading straight for them!

Her eyes went wide, and as far as she could tell, everypony else, hit the deck. As she shut the visual of the world from her mind, another gust of wind tugged at her body. As quickly as it came, it was gone; replaced by the sudden sound of destruction.

Heart jumped up, the rest of the group recovering somewhat quicker – they were apparently used to this kind of thing while Heart was a little unsteady on her hooves. Her jaw dropped as she made out the carnage. The blue Pegasus had crashed into the cart loaded with the Phyre's possessions and supplies. One wheel was completely in pieces, the other three straining under the imbalance. The whole cart began yawning to one side, some items already falling out from under the weather-proof tarp.

Yet, there was no sign of the blue pegasus.

Heart followed as the group headed for the other side of the cart, where they found the clumsy stuntspony. She had crashed into the wheel, bounced off the ground under the cart, and landed in a large bush, kicking her hind legs trying to dislodge herself.

"Hold on honey!" Applejack rushed over. "Ah'm a comin'!"

Applejack took the pony's rainbow colored tail in her mouth, and pulled for all she was worth. Two tugs later, she was free.

"Phew!" She said, shaking the leaves and twigs from her mane. "Thank AJ. I guess my new routine needs some work, hehe." She smiled sheepishly.

"Ah'll say it needs work," Applejack said, somewhat annoyed. She pointed towards Heart Phyre and the damaged cart.

"Oh, sorry." She said, rubbing the back of her head embarrassed. Heart Phyre didn't mind the cart so much, but she could tell a half-hearted apology from a genuine one. Apparently this pony has broken stuff before. "The name's Rainbow Dash; best flier in Ponyville." Dash soared into the air, striking what was supposed to be a heroic pose. Despite the damage to her property, Heart Phyre couldn't help but admire Dash's spunk. Apparently Halo did too, since she was ooohing in awe.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Halo Phyre flew up to Rainbow Dash's altitude. "I've got a few moves I've been working on! Wanna see?" Halo didn't wait for an answer, but Heart noticed that Dash had nodded. Halo began zipping this way and that, doing barrels rolls and other such stunts. Heart smiled, proud of her sister.

Halo finished with her last few tricks, and stopped a few feet above the ground...slowly descending. That routine had taken a good bit out of the small filly, her chest heaved and her tongue lulled out.

"Hey, not bad kid." Dash applauded, as did the rest of the ponies. "Maybe one day you'll be the best flier in Ponyville."

Halo beamed at that. "Really!?"

"Hehehe, yeah," Dash replied. Heart must have missed something, as Dash seemed slightly worried. Was Dash concerned about being bested? "So, do you have any awesome tricks?" Dash turned her gaze earthward to look at Heart Phyre.

_Uh oh,_ came the panicked thought. This was the inevitable conversation she had been dreading. The smile she had vanished, replaced by a nervous frown. Just behind her, Halo was frantically trying to signal. Waving her hooves and shaking her head as if to say, _don't! DON'T! _Dash didn't seem to get the message. She hovered there, the impatience growing on her face as she waited for Heart's answer.

"Well you DO fly right?" Dash said flatly, crossing her front legs mid-air. "All Pegasi can fly." She added matter-of-fact.

"I...um...well..." Heart Phyre stammered. She wanted to explain, but the memories that came back prevented the words from coming. She broke out into a nervous sweat, a slight twitch in her wings; something that happens commonly when she is nervous. She glanced at the faces of the other ponies. To her dismay, even more ponies, attracted by Rainbow Dash's crash and Halo's stunts, had gathered loosely around. Some were shrugging and looking at each other, while most were staring at her with a puzzled look. Heart's pulse skyrocketed.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

_What a lovely day,_ Twilight Sparkle thought as she cantered her way through the market after picking up a large order of quill ink. Using some to check off yet another check list. "Remember to check off the market order checklist checklist. Check." She smiled as the floating pen etched into the enchanted paper.

"Oof," She grunted as she bumped into one of a large crowd of ponies. "Sorry. Maybe I need to make a check list to look out where I'm going." Twilight chuckled nervously at the awkward statement, only half joking.

The other pony shrugged and turned back to the crowd.

Twilight blinked. There weren't any scheduled events that she was aware of. Besides, this location was neither the town hall nor the center of the market.

"Um, excuse me." She poked a different nearby pony. "What's everypony so interested in? I didn't miss-check a party or award ceremony did I?" Twilight felt a light panic coming on at the thought of leaving something important out of her master schedule.

"Oh, just Rainbow Crash again. She destroyed somepony's cart." The pony answered simply.

Twilight groaned. When was Dash going to learn that she needs to be more careful. Oh who was she kidding, it's Rainbow Dash we're talking about. Twilight humphed, assuming she would need to play the roll of peace keeper and assuage an upset pony.

As Twilight got closer, she studied the nearby building. It used to be an old restaurant, but it closed down when the owner decided to retire and move to Manehatten. The building has been vacant ever since. Then a thought occurred to twilight. While examining and recording the financial records at the bank, they always asked her for help, Twilight remembered that there was a sizable transaction involving the deed to said house. Perhaps somepony new was finally buying the place. Twilight smiled at the thought of getting to know somepony new. It was always a pleasant adventure.

Twilight reached the center, surprisingly all her other friends were here too. Likely they all were just attracted to the recent crash as she was. Then Twilight saw not just one new pony, but a new filly as well, flying just a few feet above the ground. She couldn't help but admire their matching yellow bows and vests.

Something seemed off. Instead of casual conversation, as there should have been, everypony was looking nervous and/or muttering under their breath. Twilight perked her ears up, trying to catch snippets to get a better sense of the situation.

"Wait, she can't fly? But she's a Pegasus."

"Very odd."

"Maybe she just doesn't want to."

"Nah, she's just upset about her cart."

"I've never seen her before."

"Muffins..."

Twilight then looked at the new pony. She looked like a nervous wreck. Ears back, cold sweat, twitchy wings, eyes darting; she looked like she was about to pass out. She glanced at the filly, still flying. She was making several gestures to Rainbow Dash, who was looking very impatient. Gestures like _shhh _and _don't. _She facehooved when Dash spoke again.

"Oh come on," She said, rolling her crimson eyes. "What do you mean you _can't _fly? I don't see any bandages." Twilight sighed, Dash being her usual self. She probably couldn't see how uncomfortable she was making the new pony.

Twilight decided to make her move. Maybe if she diverted the conversation away from this flight problem, she could ease the tension. That, and she'd get to meet her new neighbor. Wasting no time in closing the distance, she weaving her way through the last few ranks of ponies.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I–," The new pony screamed.

Twilight, in shock, only caught something about not being able to take it again, before she charged through the ranks of ponies, who quickly got out of her way, and headed straight out of Ponyville. Many gasps and whispers of shock followed her as everypony simply watched, unsure what to make of this emotional outburst.

"Heart!" The small filly yelled, concerned. "Wait! Come back!" She sighed.

"Um, what was that about?" Twilight asked, confused.

"Pssh," Rainbow Dash scoffed. "She's just melodramatic like Rarity."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Rarity shot Dash a look...and so too did the new filly.

"Didn't you see me?" The filly confronted Dash. "I was trying to warn you _not _to ask about her wings!" She zipped off in the same direction as the other pony, not giving Rainbow Dash a chance to defend herself.

"Well how was I supposed to know she has a problem?" Rainbow Dash said after her.

"Uh, ah think that was _exactly_ the point, ar-dee." Applejack replied.

Dash sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But her wings looked okay to me. I don't get it." Rainbow Dash was stumped. Twilight knew she wasn't trying to be rude, she just lacked subtlety.

Twilight picked this one up. "It must be something else then. If it's not a physical condition or problem, then it could be any of a hundred different reasons. I think it'd be best if we simply don't pry."

The others nodded in agreement.

Then, from the crowd of ponies gathered around, a mass of balloons and party trinkets clumsily waddled into the center of the gathering. The mountain suddenly avalanched as the pony carrying them tripped on a rock. The ponies, with the exception of Dash, gets buried under a pile of balloons, party hats, confetti and baked goods. Twilight bursts her head from the surface, taking a massive breath, once again able to breath. The rest follow suite, along with the delivery pony; Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie smiles and says cheerfully. "Oh hi Twilight!"

She looks around at the rest of her best friends, then at the rest of the ponies gathered around.

"Oooh, you're all early for the party! Wait, where'd they go? Are they hiding?" Pinkie looks around, apparently seeking for the two newcomers.

"Uh, not exactly." Twilight said.

"Oh, oh, another guessing game?" Pinkie asks, her cheer ever present. "No, no, let me guess! Um, she's buying a toaster? No, wait, she's going to freshen up, or, or, or, she's going to make punch! Or maybe – mmphd!" Twilight put a hoof over Pinkie's mouth.

"I don't think a party would be a good idea right now dear," Rarity answered solemnly while she brushed confetti and streamers from her mane.

"Mpwat? Mpwy mpot?" Pinkie sputtered, saliva dripping down Twilight's hoof.

Twilight recoiled, disgusted. "Pinkie! That's seriously gross!" Shaking off the drool.

"Ahm 'fraid she's right Pinkie," Applejack said grimly. "She, uh, ran off. Seems _somepony _didn't mind her manners." Glancing at Rainbow Dash, hovering just above the carnage.

"Me!?" Rainbow Dash started to argue, but after seeing everypony glaring at her, she gave up. "Fine, I'll go apologize..."

"I don't think that's a good idea either," Twilight used her magic to freeze Dash in mid air before she could take off.

"Wait wuht?" Applejack asked, confused.

"The wings are apparently very sensitive subject matter, but I hypothesize that the enormous amount of attention she was getting from everypony all at once is what made her freak out." Twilight methodically explained, finally releasing Rainbow Dash. "Give her space, give her time, and take it slow. She'll come around."

Everypony nodded in agreement.

"Well, um, excuse me." Fluttershy spoke up softly for the first time, blowing her mane out of her face. "Maybe we could help in a different way?" She gestured towards the broken cart, the belongings spilling onto the ground. "Well, if everypony thinks that's okay..."

"Hmm," Twilight said, thinking. "Yeah, let's do it!"

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

It had been hours since the journey had come to an end, the sun well passed its apex, and retreating down to the far horizon. What few clouds were scheduled for the afternoon decorated the sky with the waning light; turning it into a beautiful collage of oranges, yellows and purples. Such a sight was far from rare, but still it was treasured by all who could see it. However, one anxious little filly didn't have time to.

Halo landed on a nearby roof, exhaustion setting in. She had been searching Ponyville and a good chunk of the surrounding countryside looking desperately for her distraught sister. Heart Phyre had simply vanished.

"Dang it Heart Phyre," Halo sighed, not for the first time and definitely not the last. "Where are you!" She let her body collapse on top of the roof, staring sadly at the sun as it went down. A small jingle caught her attention.

Halo now looked longingly at her right rear hoof; around the ankle was a pair of golden bracelets. A gift her big sister had given her for her third birthday. It was both the saddest, and the happiest birthday she had ever had.

Back in her hometown of Buckson, Halo had a pretty ordinary life. The exception was that not many ponies or fillies wanted to be her friend. Other fillies in school teased her because she was so active. Calling her a spaz, and shunning her for her spirited nature, misunderstanding it as being hyperactive. Adult ponies didn't care much for her either. What was in truth just honest friendliness, they took as her desperate attempts for attention. Despite this, she had invited many ponies to her third birthday party at Hoof-e-Cheeses.

Well, as the days counted down, pony after pony called in saying they couldn't make it. With unconvincing reason this, or flimsy excuse that. On her special day, Halo sat at the set and decorated party table all by herself; not another pony had come, not one. Halo's heart plummeted and she sobbed into her hooves, ripping off her pointed party hat.

A few moments later, she felt a hoof gently caressing her mane.

Halo lifted her sorrow heavy head and looked through tear streaked eyes to see who it was. It was her big sister, Heart Phyre, smiling ever so warmly at her. She placed a colorful paper crown on her head.

"I think you dropped this," She said in a soft, warm tone. "birthday girl..."

Halo smiled, it didn't last long, she still felt so very sad. She just stared at the crown, sniffling; the empty chairs a painful reminder of how empty she felt on the inside. Then, a blue box tied with a golden yellow ribbon dropped gently in front of her.

"This is for you..." As she tenderly set the present down.

Halo, despite her teary eyes, read the tag: _To my favorite filly, from her caring big sister. _She managed a weak smile, glancing up at Heart, her own expression unchanged. Halo began unwrapping the package, untying the bow and lifting the lid. Inside were two pairs of matching golden bracelets, their bright sheen glowing as the radiant light reflected off their pristine surface. Halo's jaw dropped.

"But," She said, flabbergasted. "How did you...?"

"Afford these?" Heart finished her sister's question. "It was a good year and I easily got enough money to throw you a great party." Heart paused as she glanced at the empty seats and quickly said. "I had a lot left over, and used it to get you an extra special gift." She smiled warmly as she finished.

The abysmal pit that Halo's heart had sunk into became a lot less dismal. She picked up one of the bracelet pairs examining it, feeling the cool metal. She paused as she felt indentations; turning the shimmering ring over, she read the engravings.

_Together forever, I will always be there for you..._

The birthday filly smiled, brighter than she had since the first calls trickled in. Tears streamed down her cheeks, not of sorrow, but joy and love. Her sister cared about her so very much.

Heart continued. "The other pair you can give to somepony who is your best friend. It's not engraved, so you can put different words on." Halo put the first pair on her hind leg, and held the final pair, already knowing what she would do with them. She leaped from the party chair, embracing Heart Phyre.

"I already have the best friend I could ever ask for..."

Shortly thereafter, Halo got the other pair engraved with the same words, and gave them to Heart Phyre, her best friend forever.

"I will always be there for you..." Halo said as she re-read the words from the bracelet on top of the roof in Ponyville. "Together forever..." She sighed deeply, gazing at the sunset.

"No," She stomped her hoof. "I _can't_ give up, I won't!" She jumped up, defiant with renewed hope and energy.

Halo launched herself from the roof, sweeping over Ponyville for the dozenth time. Determined to set things right and make her big sister happy; like Heart had done for her those years ago when everything seemed so bleak. She flew along the outskirts of town, checking benches, fountains, shopping stalls, anywhere Heart Phyre might hide. That was the hard part about searching for somepony in a strange, new place. Even in a city a big as Buckson, Halo knew where her sister went, and could almost always find her at any number of places; but in Ponyville she didn't have a clue where to even start looking.

Halo was banking for another pass when everything went yellow for a moment. Startled, she halted mid air to rub the blindness out of her eyes. When it was over, she started looking around.

_What in the world was that? _She thought, whipping this way and that, trying to find the source. After several moments of twisting in circles, nothing happened.

Just as Halo was about to continue her search, she was assault again by the blinding glint. This time though, Halo forced herself not to blink, determined to know what it was. The direction was coming from the countryside, in the direction of the setting sun. Then it happened again, closer than she had first believed, drawing her eye near the main road that led out of Ponyville.

"Well, here goes nothing!" Halo darted straight towards the glint.

As she closed on the source, she couldn't help but notice the area was familiar; more familiar than it should have been. The distance dwindled and a small grove...Halo paused. A small grove, the same grove that Heart Phyre had rested in when they were traveling. Halo couldn't help but smile, smacking her forehead with her hoof. Why didn't she think of this before? Where else could Heart Phyre have gone.

As she approached with only a few yards to go, Halo decided that she should approach by hoof instead of dropping in. She didn't want to make things worse by startling Heart. Trotting slowly, but actually making an effort to make noise.

Even so, Heart Phyre didn't look up. She was laying down underneath the trees, her face buried in her arms, sobbing slightly. Halo paused, was this how she looked on her birthday? She frowned, an intense feeling of sadness and pity overtook her.

Halo walked slowly over to her distressed sibling and put one hoof on her shoulder. Heart Phyre's body froze, and for a moment, she wasn't moving. Her emerald green eyes, streaming with hot tears, peaked out from underneath her arm; to see who had disturbed her. When she realized it was Halo, she lifted her head a bit more, a deep frown making itself known. Halo smiled, so far so good.

"What's wrong Heart Phyre?" Halo asked, trying to be as sympathetic as possible – which wasn't hard, since she genuinely was. "Why did you run away like that?"

Heart closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know."

Halo waited, trying her best to guess what the emotional state Heart was in. It had been a few hours since she ran away, she seems to have calmed down quite a bit. Still, she should tread lightly, lest she make things that much worse.

"I know they don't like me." Heart started with a sob. "The way that first one just...ran away like that." Heart sniffed and choked, resting her chin on her crossed arms again. Halo remembered; the odd pink one with the crazy hairdo. "At least in Buckson ponies just ignored you if they didn't like you."

"Yeah," Halo couldn't help but agree. Most simply went along their own business, keeping their feelings to themselves. Not out of politeness, but because they simply didn't care. "I know that was rude, and she should not have done that to you, but what's the opinion of _one_ pony? Everypony else was being very friendly, weren't they?"

"No," Heart said miserably. "That one with the pink hair, I hurt her feelings. Did you see how she reacted? She must _hate_ me!" She covered her head with her hooves, embarrassed.

Halo visibly recoiled at that word, but managed to keep her hoof on Heart's shoulder. Unfortunately, Halo didn't know exactly what was said between her sister and the pale yellow Pegasus with the pink mane, but it couldn't have been that bad...could it?

Halo sighed, and considered what to say now. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad right? And if you're genuinely sorry, I'm sure she'll forgive you." Halo smiled warmly as Heart looked directly into her eyes, searching for the truth.

_Sniff. _"I guess so..." Halo beamed. She was getting through! One more push ought to do it.

Heart Phyre sat up a bit, sniffling slightly less now. "Oh," She started, looking up at the dwindling skylight. "I must be a joke to them. A Pegasus that can't fly, must be hilarious, especially to the one that wrecked our cart." Uh oh, Heart was agitated. "I'm surprised you two didn't stay together..."

Now that hurt, Halo did remove her hoof at that point. Heart Phyre turned away, and practically slammed her chin onto her arms. Halo fought back against the tears at hearing her sister's absurd statement.

"I must be such a lame sister," Heart continued, her tone changing from sorrow and self-pity, to one full of such loathing. Not towards Halo or even Rainbow Dash, but to _herself_. "all because I'm too scared to fly." She started cracking up, new tears flowing, creating mini rivers down her face. "Maybe you'd be better off with Rainbow Dash..."

Halo's jaw dropped.

She didn't want to believe the words assaulting her ears. How could Heart say such a thing? Did she already forget the unbreakable bond they shared? Halo did nothing; she just sat there, in shock, a single tear making its escape. At that moment, Halo too wanted to just run away from it all; from the hurt and the pain.

Halo stood her ground though, staring at Heart, her eyes landing on her cutie mark; a golden heart with a golden halo just above it. It represented the good-hearted nature that Heart Phyre possessed, and the devotion that came with it.

_Devotion..._

Never give up. She sighed and shifted uncomfortably on the grass, hearing the familiar clank of the bracelets. Halo smiled at her most treasured possessions. Even if there was no more hope, she had to tell her.

"Heart Phyre?" No response, her sister brooded in silence. Either ignoring or not hearing her. Yet, Halo continued anyway. "Rainbow is a cool, awesome pegasus, that much is true. But she, nor any other pony in the world, could replace the pony closest to my _heart_." Halo stressed the emotional bump in her chest. At the same time, she poked Heart's cutie mark for emphasis. "If you really need to remember that, just look at your wrist." Halo paused for a moment, then slowly retreats.

Halo tried the best she could, if that wouldn't snap her sister out of it, then nothing would. Halo didn't fight the new tears that formed at the corners of her eyes, just letting them out. She glanced back at the sun, scoffing. If a beautiful sunset was supposed to bring happiness, why did she feel so sad. For the first time in her short life, Halo did not want to fly.

Every step down the hill felt so very heavy, every inch was a mile as Halo's mind just went blank. While the shock had worn off a short time ago, now she had to figure out what to do with herself...and without her sister.

Halo stopped, without the will to go on she just knelt on the grass, suddenly very tired. Then, she thought she heard hoofsteps, shaking her head as she dismissed them as her imagination. It had been a long day. It wasn't until a hoof touched her shoulder did Halo look up; Heart Phyre looking down at her. Halo looked into Heart's eyes, emotions carefully hidden. Silence eternal, the two shared the still quiet night time air for what felt like forever, then finally Heart Phyre spoke up.

"I'm sorry for what I said," Apologizing. "I...I lost touch with what was really important. It doesn't matter what those other ponies think of me...because nopony could replace the pony closest to my _heart_." Heart mimicked her sisters words, emphasizing as she had done.

At that point Halo jumped into the air, soaring as high and fast as she could, before descending and tackling Heart Phyre, knocking the breath out of her. The two rolled down the nearby hill, embracing one another. The two stopped near the base, Halo sitting on top.

"I _knew_ you'd come back!" Halo gleefully shouted, hugging her sister.

Halo couldn't tell whether or not Heart Phyre said anything in response, she was too busy being happy. After a few more moments, Halo let go of her, who promptly breathed out loud. Now hovering next to her, she watched Heart smile, never so happy in her life to see it.

"Well, I guess we better get back to the house," Heart said. "We got unpacking to do."

Halo nodded, and simply followed as they headed back into town.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

Heart Phyre was glad it was after dark, the cool night air was refreshing and made her feel alive. The marketplace, once busy with dozens of ponies, had fallen silent as everypony went to bed for the night, leaving the streets barren. Being alone felt good right now, exactly what she needed. But in truth, it was Halo's sincere words that made her feel like she could canter on cloud nine.

"I think it's just up ahead." Heart announced when she felt like she was getting close to where she last left the cart. Just like everywhere else, finding out where you were in the dark proved to be a challenge. Shortly afterwards, the two found their new house, but the cart was mysteriously gone.

"Oh no..." Halo cried, a hoof to her mouth. "All our stuff..."

"Oh dang it." Heart moaned. She glanced at Halo, remembering the hard work she had put into bringing her out of her stupor, and put on a confident face for her sake. "It's okay, there wasn't anything in there that wasn't replaceable."

Halo sighed, then nodded, realizing that she was right. Still, it was a massive loss for them, and it showed regardless.

"Well, we'd best get to bed then. It's late." Heart Phyre moved to the double door, eager to put this day behind her.

The door swung open, creaking under its own weight. She expected dust bunnies, cobwebs and dark spacious emptiness. But the room had a glow about it, several candles had been lit, casting their light around the room. What she saw caused her, and Halo's, jaw to drop.

The room was full, occupied, decorated, etcetera. Bookshelves brimming with all manner of titles, as well as hand built models; many of which Heart recognized as ones she had put together and brought with her. Several round, varnished wooden tables and matching chairs dominated the central space, each sporting a manner of different board games; their various pieces and rule books organized neatly, ready for use. In the windows at the front, mannequin displays had been dressed with costumes. Popular fiction figures such as Daring Do and Star Swirl the Bearded stared sightlessly into the empty street, their matching book and board game titles displayed spectacularly next to them. The cashier counter sported what looked like a brand new, yet old fashioned, register; the antique buttons and display in pristine condition. As well as several complimentary candies and small baked goods. A glass display box had been set up on the far wall with the collectors items Heart had brought with her, proudly displaying the unique items for all to see. Even the ceiling had been adorned with model Pegasi and fictional crafts from comic books and other media.

Heart Phyre couldn't believe her eyes. The place was amazing, better than she had imagined!

"Who, what, how," Heart stammered out, looking this way and that. "How is this possible? Halo did you-?" Her younger sister was still recovering from the sudden jaw drop; so it could not have been her.

Then, six heads appeared from behind the cashier's table. All of them smiling warmly, some apologetically, and all very familiar.

"You?" Was all Heart could say, blinking several times.

"Yep," The middle pony, a purple unicorn with a deep purple mane. "after you ran off, we all felt like we needed to do something to apologize for smothering you earlier."

"So we fixed up yer place for ya." Said the pony she recognized as Applejack.

"Your cart is around back," Rarity spoke up this time. "Good as new. I even painted some fabulous designs on the side."

"It was the least we could do to help make you smile!" Came the pink, messy haired pony. Heart flinched as she spoke.

"We hope everything is ok..." The yellow pony quietly added.

"And, hehe, we just want to make amends, and, ahem, start over?" Rainbow Dash finished, embarrassed. She held out her hoof.

Heart stood her ground, almost speechless. "So you all...I mean, none of you are mad at me, or dislike me?" She looked at them, particularly at Rainbow Dash, and the pink and yellow ponies.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I made you feel that way." The yellow one spoke first. "I was just sad that your old home didn't have any animals or forests...I wasn't mad at you..." She finished, her low, soothing tone reassuring Heart.

"Oh, and I didn't mean to be so rude earlier." The pink one started now. "I didn't recognize you, and I know everypony in town! So if I didn't recognize you, then you must be new! And you looked so sad and tired, the saddest I've ever seen! Well at least since Twilight came to Ponyville, so I left as quick as I could to get stuff for the "Welcome to Ponyville" party! Because Pinkie Pie likes to make friends!" Heart barely followed what Pinkie Pie said, she was talking so fast...and moving, everywhere. But she got the gist of it.

Heart looked back at Rainbow Dash, who still held her hoof outstretched. "And I shouldn't have pushed you about something you were obviously not comfortable with. So, what I'm trying to say is...," She took a breath. "I'm sorry." Dash finished with a sheepish grin, and then turned to look at Halo. "And I apologize to you too squirt, I should have paid more attention, sorry."

Halo beamed at Dash and lunged her hoof forward. "Hoofbump!" Dash obliged.

"Awww yeah!"

Heart couldn't help it anymore, several tears formed up around her eyes. The other ponies saw this, and braced for the worst, but it was in vain as Heart explained.

"And I'm sorry for overreacting," She said. "Ponyville is new in a great many more ways than I expected, and I was ill prepared."

"Apology graciously accepted." Rarity elegantly bowed once more .

"Well, there is still time for proper introductions." The purple pony said suggestively.

Heart nodded her head and waited.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I welcome you to Ponyville." Twilight then introduced the others, Rainbow Dash, the town's primary weatherpony and incredible acrobat. Rarity, who owns Ponyville's fashion boutique. Fluttershy, the one that watches over the forests and is caretaker of the small animals. Pinkie Pie, the most happy and fun loving pony of the bunch, and works at Sugar Cube Corner. And Applejack, a hard working and dependable pony that works Sweet Apple Acres.

"Thanks everypony," Heart said. "My name is Heart Phyre, and this is my little sister, Halo Phyre. We decided to come to Ponyville to open up a hobby shop for games."

"That's right," Halo added, hovering merrily.

The whole group smiled.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie jumped up. "And it's party ti-mmph!" Pinkie's declaration was interrupted when Twilight put her hoof to her mouth. "Uh, I think it's a bit late to have a party. The Phyre's have traveled a long way and I'm sure they're exhausted." Twilight looked to Heart and Halo for help. She was likely hinting that they were all tired from so generously setting up the shop for her. That, and when Pinkie said "party" everypony else groaned.

"I'm afraid so," Heart played along only in part, she was pretty tired. "We can party tomorrow Pinkie. I promise."

"Mpdo moo mphinky phromish!?" Pinkie slobbered all over Twilight's hoof.

"Ewww," Twilight groaned. "Pinkie!"

"Sorry," Pinkie smiled again. "Anyway, do you Pinkie promise?" Pinkie got closer to Heart, perhaps a bit too close, but Heart was over that. She looked at the others. They awaited her decision with smiles, except Twilight who was busy disinfecting her hoof.

Heart laughed. "I Pinkie promise."

Pinkie jumped up in the air, clacking her ankles together. "Hooray!" Pinkie danced, and danced, and continued dancing.

Everypony said their goodbyes as they filed through the doors, with trailing promises of a smashing party in the morning, and wishes of good luck to the grand opening of their game shop. Heart had never felt so many butterflies in her stomach...and enjoyed it. She felt like she could do anything, felt like any obstacle could be overcome, she felt _happy_.

There was a poke at her side, she looked down and saw Halo. She was gesturing just ahead of her at a peculiar sight. Pinkie pie was _still_ here, and _still_ dancing merrily.

Heart rolled her eyes. "A-hem" She coughed, then smiled nervously. "Good night Pinkie, as in we go to bed now...in our own homes..." She hinted heavily.

Pinkie stopped dancing. "Oh, okay, see ya tomorrow, bye!" And she zipped through the door into the night.

Halo laughed, "You see? Didn't I tell you nopony was mad at you?" She hopped with glee, enjoying the moment she was proven right.

Heart smiled and rolled her eyes a second time. "Yes, you were right. Just don't get used to it!"

"Pfft. Don't be jealous." Halo dashed up to the second story, eager to see how the others decorated her room.

Heart walked slowly around the room, admiring the work they had done. From that moment, she could tell they were going to be good friends. She chuckled as she recalled her irrational reactions back at the market. Thinking that maybe you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, and that while trying to make a new friend is always good, there is such a thing as over-doing it. And over-doing it can have drastic consequences, not just for the new pony, but for their closest loved ones too.

Heart shook her head, dizzy for a moment. Where had that long lecture of a thought come from? Before she could contemplate it further, a massive yawn told her it was time for bed. Glancing one more time behind her, she grew excited. An awesome new life awaits, and it begins tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust

Story Written by: TOOS0BER

Chapter 2: Elementary Fright

Halo Phyre stirred from her restful sleep as the warming glow of the morning sun peeked through the blinds. Soon, the early morning rays reached the point where they could shine directly into the sleeping filly's eyes. She squirmed, not wishing to leave the comfort of her bed. Biting the hem of her chess board quilt she twisted the other way to stave off the morning glory.

Just as sleep had nearly returned, a rapid knocking on the door echoed into the room.

"Time to get up sleepy head!" Her big sister, Heart Phyre, called just outside.

_Why does she have to be an early riser..._Halo thought, as she weaved her way deeper under the covers. Heart Phyre may prefer to be the early bird that gets the worm, but Halo would say let the worm sleep. The grand opening of the store wasn't going to be for a few days, and she was still really tired from the trip, even though in truth, Heart Phyre did the work hauling the cart while she just flew around.

Another series of knocks on the door.

"Come on Halo, you're going to be late!" Heart called out, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

_Late? Late for what? _Halo grumbled as she crawled out of bed at a snails pace, her sleepy eyes protesting. She remembered the last several times she ignored her sister when told to get up for the day, and begrudgingly got up. Lets just say that the sheets had to hang out and dry outside.

Halo sat upright and yawned greatly, stretching her legs. She glanced around the room, and couldn't help but smile. Twilight and the others had set up their house for them as an apology for upsetting her sister earlier. They arranged the bottom floor storefront, as well as the kitchen and even their bedrooms. Halo turned to make up her bed, positioned just underneath the window overlooking the marketplace street below. Making the bed was never a strong suit, but after several minutes she finished, trotting across the room to the closet on the far wall. Inside the closet bore a modest amount of clothing. Most of it different colored ribbons and collared vest shirts; but she did have some dresses and formal attire, which she seldom wore, sharing her older sibling's disdain for things fancy or fashioned. Picking out her favorite yellow bow and vest – from amongst a dozen identical pairs.

Halo sat in front of a small vanity mirror attached to a varnished dresser, tying the bright yellow bow in her mane with practiced ease. After brushing her messy mane into the classic forward spike, she glanced at the clock sitting on one of the end tables next to the bed. The clock's hands told that the time was just after seven in the morning.

_Man,_Halo thought irritated, _what is so important to get up this early. _Rolling her eyes towards the ceiling, grumbling. She stared at the hanging models of acrobat ponies and fictional flight craft. Models that she had acquired through various means; such as contest prizes, gifts, or just plain buying them with her allowance. For the most part her room was bare. She had many posters and other knick-knacks to put up, sitting in boxes in a corner of the room. The others had only set up the big stuff like the furniture and certain decor, rightly assuming that they'd want to set up the particulars themselves.

Another big yawn made its escape.

"Man," Halo rasped, speaking to no one in particular as Halo looked at her sleepy guise in the mirror, propping her head up with one hoof. "What in the world could be so important to get up this early..." She asked herself rhetorically.

Halo paced the room a few times, trying to shake the last vestiges of fatigue from her body before heading downstairs. The interior of the house that wasn't part of the storefront was pretty bare, the boxes of pictures and other decorations awaited their discretion. Soon after exiting the hallway, the smell of cooking food swept into Halo's nostrils. She breathed deep, taking in the sweet and savory odors, her mouth watering as a massive grin slowly made itself known. Heart Phyre was cooking breakfast.

She greatly picked up her pace, eager to dig into the waiting meal. Getting used to the new house would take a while. Halo had already gotten lost last night when trying to find her room. It's always in the last place you look.

Finally, she turned the corner passing through a simple set of wooden doors, and found herself in the kitchen. There was Heart Phyre by an old-fashioned cast iron wood stove, wearing a chef's hat and a pink apron, flipping what looked like a really fat tortilla with brown and blue polka dots on it. The nearby round table lined with a red and white checkered table cloth sported a _huge _spread of food. Over easy eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, custard toast, accompanied by jams and jellies and juices! So intoxicating that Halo didn't even know that her jaw had dropped, only coming to when she realized she was about to drool on the kitchen floor, and gasped in delight.

While staring at the incredible buffet, Halo jumped when Heart Phyre set a heavy plate on the table with half a dozen of the fat tortillas – which she now realized were pancakes. Or, more specifically, cinnamon blueberry chocolate chip pancakes. Her favorite. A small _squee_ slipped past her maw.

"Whoa!" Halo's eyes were glued to the golden brown cakes.

"Well, I know what motivates you in life," Heart chuckled, removing her apron and hat, taking her seat at the opposite end of the table. "It's surprising how many food stalls open before the sun even comes up. I bought all of this today, and at great bargains! Things are a lot cheaper here in Ponyville."

Halo barely heard what her sister was rambling about as she reached for this and that, before long she had a plate of food that would satiate a dragon, chowing down at a monstrous rate. If Heart Phyre was offended by the lack of table manners, she certainly didn't show it – not that Halo would have noticed anyways, so busy with the food she was. She did catch a glimpse of her sister rolling her eyes as she fixed her own plate. That's how their meals usually went, Halo ravenously devouring every morsel in sight while Heart was more civilized, but not by much, with little conversation. Halo briefly thought about that white unicorn with the stylized mane that acted so sophisticated – what was her name? Rarity? – and chuckled at what she might say of their table manners.

When the meal was finally over, and little more than scraps remained on the table, Halo stooped in her chair with the most satisfied smile. Halo would agree that Heart Phyre was the best cook in Equestria. The older mare got up and retrieved a nearby saddle bag, dropping it by Halo's hooves.

"Well?" Heart asked, looking at Halo expectantly.

"Well what?" Halo said as she struggled to sit up, bulging stomach protesting, a confused look on her face. "You didn't make _dessert_ did you?" The thought of more food brought up conflicting desires. Heart's cooking was to die for, but if she ate much more she would likely explode. Sighing in relief as her sister rolled her eyes again and shook her head.

"No silly," She replied. "Are you ready for your first day at school?" Heart smiled warmly.

Halo's pulse jumped and the content smile disappeared.

"What?" Halo was flabbergasted. School was the _last_ thing she was expecting. A flood of memories emerged, recalling her own experiences with school back in Buckson. Most of them bad.

"You know," Heart continued, either not noticing or ignoring the panic in Halo's voice. "Miss Cheerilee? Ponyville Elementary? You know..." She paused, seemingly for dramatic effect, "school?"

To which Halo replied, "What!?"

Heart sighed and explained. "The new school year happens to start today, and I've enrolled you so that you won't fall behind in your studies." Heart then added, since Halo still looked distraught. "It'll be fun. I've heard that Miss Cheerilee is a great teacher while I was shopping in town. Come on, I'll walk you to school." She headed for the door.

Halo sat there for a bit, still reeling from the shock. Not so much from having to go to school period, but from having to start so soon. They hadn't been in Ponyville for two days. But even so, that wasn't what was bothering her. Halo sighed as Heart waited by the door, and climbed down from the chair, suddenly feeling sleepy again. She hitched the saddle bag, solemnly exiting the front door.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

Halo walked down the marketplace street, Heart Phyre trotting just ahead of her. Just like the day before, the stalls were open and ponies were out and about buying groceries and other necessities. Occasionally a pony would look their way and wave or smile, naturally they would return the gesture. Likely figuring that since the new ponies were still here, the events of the previous night must have worked out for the best.

"I really did overreact," Halo listened as Heart Phyre talked, more at ease with yesterday's mishaps. "Everyone is so friendly." A smile plastered on Heart's face.

Halo simply nodded, her thoughts occupied elsewhere as she had to force each step down the street. Eyes on the ground as she followed Heart, convinced that this school wasn't going to be any different; that the teachers would be just as uninteresting as others, and that they'd just sit up there on their pedestal, preaching monologue from a textbook. The other fillies would just shun her like so many others; they had proven that by declining her birthday invitation. Their excuses and reasons? No, they had lied. Some had stated that they had to go to a family reunion some distance away for several days. But they were at school the following day. Some claimed they were deathly ill, and yet they were in class, doing the teacher's assignments. Halo snorted at the thought.

"I hope you can make as many friends as you did in Buckson," That unintentionally stung. Halo hadn't told her sister about her misery back at the old school.

"Yeah," Halo faked enthusiasm, careful to keep her gaze somewhere else. "I'm sure I can."

As far as she could tell, Heart had no idea that Halo knew the truth behind the calls for her birthday, since she saw the writing on the wall the following day. She didn't mean to lie to her sister, it's just that she didn't want her to worry. Her sister already had too much to worry about. Taking care of the bills, buying food and supplies, cooking and cleaning; the _last_ thing her sister needed was to worry about her happiness at school. The way Halo figured it, she could help in her own way by not making Heart worry.

The two continued their way through the dirt road streets, making steady progress towards the outskirts of Ponyville. Heart seemed occupied familiarizing herself with the various stores, taking special interest into a local bakery sweets shop called "Sugarcube Corner". Which suited Halo just fine; she was busy mentally preparing herself for what was certain to be misery ahead. Soon after, she noticed that the tall country buildings had given way to the countryside itself. Alongside grassy fields lined with random trees, the same hills the pair had traveled yesterday off in the distance, with snowcapped mountains after that. Halo looked around searching for the large brick building, similar to the hypothetical prison that her old school was.

"Ah," Heart Phyre spoke again. "That must be it!"

Halo turned her head, following the bigger pony's outstretched arm. The building she was looking at wasn't made of brick, or gray, or remotely oppressive looking. In fact, it was downright _small_ compared to the large educational facility back in her hometown. Bearing many similar characteristics to the houses and shops back in town. The building itself was a bright crimson, windows decorating the flanks. Atop the front, a bell tower with an artificial rooster; Buckson elementary just had an intercom. Around the school there were many playground sets; a jungle gym, seesaw, even a small fort with a slide. All around there were fillies Halo's age, playing and laughing, saddle bags strewn about, waiting for the first bell to ring.

"Okay then," Halo barely noticed that Heart Phyre spoke, "I have some more shopping to handle in town. Are you going to be okay?" Heart bent her head down to Halo's eye level, she recoiled slightly in surprise, averting her eyes for a moment.

"Er, yeah!" Halo lied, trying to hide her nervousness. "I'll be okay sis. You go finish your shopping." Trying to draw attention back to her sister's chore, as she conjured up a fake smile. Instead of saying anything else, Heart rubbed her sister's head before hugging her goodbye. Then trotted back off to the town proper.

Halo stood there for what seemed like the longest time, watching the deep orange pegasus until she disappeared around the corner of a nearby building. This part wasn't much different than back in Buckson. That school had had a playground too, but she was never invited to play with anypony. The memories certainly weren't helping her here. Halo sighed, took in a deep breath, and walked towards the nearest bench and sat down. Figuring the best thing to do was just get through the day.

Before too long, another pony appeared in the double doorway to the school. Halo admired the adult pony, her dark cherry coat and her light pink mane, she was very pretty. With her maw, the adult pony reached into an alcove Halo couldn't see from this angle, and the bell started to ring. As a direct result, all the fillies in the yard turned and started trotting towards the door. Halo waited until everypony was almost inside before she made her way, repeating an old habit of being last pony.

"Good morning my little ponies!" The adult pony addressed rather cheerfully. "Welcome back to school!" She watched with a big smile on her face as everypony filed in through the door. As Halo approached, the teacher briefly held her gaze on Halo. The little filly quickly looked away, ducking slightly behind somepony's head.

As Halo entered the classroom proper, she expected rule charts, and gray. However, her jaw dropped to the floor as she paused by the door. The classroom was, _beautiful_. The paint on the walls was bright and colorful, making the room feel much bigger than it should have. The desks themselves looked like artisan pieces of work, starkly opposed to the gray metal and composite board back in Buckson. There wasn't a blank section of wall in the whole schoolhouse. Professional paintings, predictably education based, decorated every wall alongside plain pieces of paper that had colorful, but badly drawn, pictures that must have been made by the students. Low bookshelves and drawers and cabinets lined the walls. For just a moment, Halo was stunned. She had expected something different entirely. The classroom was warm and inviting, not cold and oppressive. Halo felt her body relax a little.

"Come on everypony," The pony that Halo assumed was the teacher said. "Please find your seats." She looked expectantly to the filly standing by the door.

Halo looked around the bright classroom, she was the only one that hadn't seated herself yet, and everypony was staring at her. What little the classroom had put her at ease vanished at this dawning realization. Quickly making her way to the only available open seat, which was in the middle second row, to one side of the room. Halo grimaced, she would have preferred to be unnoticed in the back row. Shortly after taking her seat, the other students lost interest and returned their attention to the front of the classroom to the teacher, who had introduced herself as Miss Cheerilee.

"Hello again my little ponies!" Miss Cheerilee said cheerfully. "Did everypony have a wonderful summer?" The class responded, nodding enthusiastically or chanting _yes, Miss Cheerilee_. Or both.

Halo chanced a glance around the classroom. The size of the class was something that was odd to her. Back in Buckson, there were anywhere from forty to sixty students to one teacher; here there was only about a dozen, maybe as many as eighteen.

"Well," Miss Cheerilee continued, "I see we have a new pony with us today." She looked straight at Halo Phyre. Realizing she was talking about her, Halo shrank under Cheerilee's gaze. To make things worse, the rest of the class had turned to look at her too.

"Please, would you come up and introduce yourself to the rest of the class?" Miss Cheerilee asked innocently, gesturing with a hoof.

Halo gulped, and was caught by surprise. The class size back in Buckson pretty much forbade introductions for new students. For one, because they came and went so fast that it seemed like a waste of time. For two, nopony had really seemed to care back then. Halo looked this way and that, feeling as though all the eyes in Equestria were on her.

Gulping once more, Halo dismounted her chair and headed for the front of the class. Standing there, she simply didn't know what to say. While only maybe a minute had passed, it felt like she had been standing there for hours, everypony's attention focused solely on her.

"Um," She stammered, clearing her throat to speak up. "Uh, m-my name is Halo Phyre. I'm from, uh, Buckson. My sister and I moved to Ponyville to, um, g-get a fresh start –" From the crowd, Halo heard somepony make a comment, something about a fresh start being another term for being poor, and some of the students started chuckling softly. A similar memory flashed in Halo's mind. She was surrounded by fillies that had designer clothes on, they were cruelly commentating on her more simple attire. Glaring at her with contempt.

Closing her eyes, Halo shrank into her shell, desperate to banish the unpleasant memory. It was true that was one of the reasons they had initially moved to Ponyville. But mainly, it was part of Heart Phyre's dream to open up her own hobby shop. And the fact that her parents had...

The thought was interrupted by another contemptuous chuckle, Halo didn't look up, but the voice sounded the same as the one who made the comment. The voice sounded snooty, full of herself, even arrogant to her ears. She had heard similar voices before, belonging to the vast majority of fillies she had interacted with. More uncomfortable memories flooded her mind, Halo felt her body give way slightly under the stress, suddenly struggling to keep her balance.

"Now that's enough," Miss Cheerilee intervened, even when she was being stern, her voice sounded so very kind. Halo looked up at her. Cheerilee's face hinting at her annoyance as she continued. "That's no way to treat a new student Diamond Tiara."

"Yes, ma'am..." The same voice spoke, this time Halo identified the filly known as Diamond Tiara. A pale pink coated filly, gray blue eyes, and a two-toned mane...with what appeared to be an elegant expensive tiara, Halo twitched at that. The filly then propped her head up with her hoof, and continued to glare at Halo, unsure what was going through the other filly's mind.

"Now then," Miss Cheerilee said, her warm smile and sweet tone returning. "thank you for the introduction Halo, welcome to our class!" Halo walked back over to her seat, watching Diamond Tiara through the corner of her eye. She was talking to another filly. Gray coat and a gray mane braided in a ponytail with what looked like designer glasses.

As Miss Cheerilee began teaching, Halo tried to ignore the conversation that Tiara and the other filly, who was apparently her friend, were having. She caught a few words, pertaining to her socioeconomic status, followed by more stifled laughter. Even so, what did reach her ears was affecting her deeply, causing the depressed filly to slump in her chair. Subconsciously, Halo stroked the yellow bow in her mane, thinking about the discount store it had been bought from.

For the next several minutes, Miss Cheerilee scribbled on the blackboard, nosing the chalk in her mouth bobbing this way and that. Halo sighed, she knew what was going to happen next. She would write whatever she was writing and then turn to lecture the class on what it was supposed to mean. That translated as nap time to Halo, as she propped her chin on her hooves.

"Okay," Miss Cheerilee finished her scribbling, and turned to address the class, spitting out the chalk onto her desk. The teacher made a face as she stuck her tongue out of her mouth and said, "Why hasn't somepony invented better tasting chalk yet?" The class laughed, Halo herself chuckled at the uncommonly expressed joke. Cheerilee waited a moment for the class to calm down.

"Nasty tasting chalk aside," She continued. "who can tell me the difference between a barrel roll and high velocity spin?"

Halo perked up at that, becoming fully attentive. They were going to learn about some maneuvers in flying! Halo shot her hoof in the air, waving enthusiastically back and forth, a massive grin on her face. In Buckson the teachers almost never asked for input from the students, just standing up there and lecturing.

More chuckling to her left. Although Halo's attention was focused elsewhere, she heard the whisper and made out one of the nick names she heard the most back in Buckson: spaz. She froze, smile and enthusiasm vanishing instantly. That name was earned because when she did have something to say, she always expressed it vigorously, and other students would call her a spaz for it. And it was happening again, from that same Tiara filly. Halo blushed, her ears flat against her skull, and sunk deeper into her seat. Now, the whole class wasn't laughing, but in her mind the silence was a deafening chorus from her memories.

"Yes Halo?" Miss Cheerilee called on her, seemingly oblivious to what had just happened.

Halo paused, unable to find her voice for a moment. "N-Nothing, Miss Cheerilee..." At that moment, she just wanted to disappear, fighting back the depressing shadow that now loomed in her mind. _I can't deal with this, not again._ She thought somberly, desperate to keep the tears bottled up behind her eyelids.

The rest of class went by in this fashion. Halo sat quietly, dispirited and completely unwilling to participate. She still heard the occasional remark from some other filly, but she no longer cared, too busy stewing in her own misery. She tried to find solace in the many paintings, trying to find a distraction. Nothing worked as time went by painfully slow.

Eventually, Miss Cheerilee announced that it was time for recess. Halo wasn't roused from her trance until movement and the sound of rustling chairs caught her attention. Everypony was filing out through the door. A glittering tiara caught her eye, staring as Diamond Tiara and her unnamed companion exited to the outside. Once again, Halo repeated her habit of being last pony out.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville. Miss Cheerilee sat in the empty classroom, examining summer reports and pictures some of her student's had drawn for her over the summer, a warm smile plastered on her face. Even though the pictures were poorly drawn in crayons and colored pencils, Cheerilee treasured every single one of them; they were masterful works of art in her mind, worth more than the multi-million bit paintings in Canterlot. The only regret was that there was only so much room on the school walls. Opening the lowest drawer in the desk, Cheerilee stored her treasures in a violet folder with a bright red heart on it labeled "my little students".

Carefully she deposited the pictures and summer reports. She didn't ask for reports for credit, even though she did give the fillies a grade for them, desiring them out of genuine interest in what her little students had learned throughout the summer.

Cheerilee sighed. Yet, something was bothering her today. She got up from her desk and headed for one of the curtained windows that overlooked the street and playground outside. Outside everypony was having a good time. She watched as some swung on the swings, slid down the slide, or just sat in the grass talking to friends, likely asking about each other's summer. Her smile returned partly.

Still, she didn't quite see the filly she was looking for. She squinted her eyes, broadening her search through the relatively small window. After a few moments, she found the one she was looking for. The little light orange pegasus with the yellow bow and matching vest, the latest addition to her wonderful class, was sitting on a bench just across the street. Her yellow bow very noticeable on the bright sunny day.

Miss Cheerilee made her way outside, eyes blinking as they adjusted to the sunlight. Then, trotted down the hill and slowly approached the bench where Halo Phyre was sitting. As the happy-go-lucky teacher approached, her smile gave way to a frown. The new filly looked very sad, sitting there like the world as she knew it was at an end.

After a few moments, she finally reached the bench, and sat on the grass next to Halo Phyre, waiting for the student to acknowledge her presence. Halo looked up after a few moments, Cheerilee smiles back at her, despite knowing that the poor girl is fighting back tears, and seems to be losing.

"Hello Miss Cheerilee," Halo sniffs, wiping her nose.

"Hello Halo Phyre," Cheerilee answers back, looking sympathetic. "How is your first day at Ponyville Elementary?" She asks the rhetorical question, already knowing the answer.

Halo doesn't give one. Just bowing her head and continuing to sulk instead.

Miss Cheerilee sees she isn't getting through, and changes tact. Deciding for a bit more of a direct approach.

"What's bothering you sweetheart?" Cheerilee asks, emphasizing her concern by putting a hoof on Halo's knee. "You can tell me anything, and it'll stay just between us. I promise." It's a sincere gesture, as she doesn't like to see her students unhappy for whatever reason.

"It-it's nothing." Cheerilee knew that was a lie. In fact, she had a good idea why Halo was depressed, as she looked in the direction of Diamond Tiara, who was chatting with her friend Silver Spoon. Cheerilee knew she couldn't, and shouldn't, force Halo to tell her what was wrong. But even so, she had to be there for her students. She would ask once more, and let the subject fall.

"Are you sure honey?" Shuffling a bit closer, trying to be as sympathetic as possible.

Halo didn't meet her gaze, and solemnly nodded.

Even though she was defeated, Cheerilee's smile remained persistent.

"Okay dear," She removed her hoof, but stayed just a moment longer. "If you ever need to talk to somepony, I'm always available." This time the little filly did meet her eyes, and managed a weak smile, muttering thanks through her choked throat. Cheerilee still desperately wanted to help, but she knew that forcing the subject would always do more harm than good. Halo would talk to her when she was ready. However, that didn't mean she wouldn't have a talk with Diamond Tiara about her attitude – again.

Cheerilee made her way back into the colorful classroom, sighing as she smiled at the framed drawings of her students, picking out a special spot for the first drawing Halo would have the courage to give to her. Next she glanced at the stationary hands of the clock, recess was almost over. Cheerilee looks out the window a second time. Even though she couldn't make out Halo's face at this distance, she could tell that her head was held a little bit higher – the brief talk had indeed helped. Cheerilee's smile increased.

_I'll give them five more minutes, _She thought. _It won't hurt._

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

The day continued more or less. Time passed and the sun occupied a new position in the sky, making its journey towards the horizon, as it has done so for all eternity. Symbolizing the ending of one day and the hope of a better tomorrow that will follow soon enough. Class went on without much more excitement. Diamond Tiara had quieted down for whatever reason, Halo suspected Miss Cheerilee had something to do with that. She was a very special teacher; none of her previous mentors had ever bothered to comfort her like that. Cheerilee even smiled brighter than usual when Halo sheepishly raised her hand for a question. Even so, the school day took longer than she would have liked, dragging on and on.

Eventually though, the day did end, and Halo was relieved as she trotted down the street, sad, but not depressed. Not quite hating school, but didn't have any reasons to validate going back. Somehow it felt criminal to subject anypony to that sort of treatment. Having to deal with the loathing and contempt of others, sitting there idly taking the abuse.

Halo stomped her hoof.

_No, _she thought, frustration replacing sadness. _I'll show her. I'm not going to let her get the better of me!_ Halo stopped herself. She remembered several instances in school back in Buckson where she witnessed more... violent... arguments. Knowing she didn't want to turn into a bully, but at the same time she didn't want Diamond Tiara to win. She grimaced every time at the memory of that pony, and her friend what's-her-name.

The little filly continued walking down the dirt street, letting her mind wander, eager to forget. The street was slightly busier now, with more fillies now that school let out for the day. So many vendors, one pony could likely find anything they would ever need in the marketplace. A strange thought occurred to Halo, how in the world did Heart Phyre manage to find all of the ingredients in such a short amount of time? Well, Heart always did like to shop, and cooking with ingredients required shopping for ingredients, so she assumed her sister acquired quite a knack for it.

Halo looked this way and that, trying to get her bearings. She had been looking for her sister's store for a while now. Matter of fact, this street seemed familiar, facehooving as she realized that she was going in circles. Her pulse quickened, and yet, she wasn't scared. Briefly regretting not paying attention to her surroundings on the journey to school that morning.

"Well howdy!" If Halo wasn't scared before, she certainly was startled by the cheery country voice that called out just behind her. After her heart recovered, she turned to see who it was – even though she already knew. Applejack stood in front of her with that big friendly smile, looking down at her. The only difference now was that she wore a white shopkeeper's apron, with several gold bits weighing down the chest pocket. That smile lessened as she examined Halo's face. "Why so glum partner?"

"Oh it's nothing Applejack," Halo managed a fake smile with practiced ease.

Applejack didn't buy it. "Oh come on now. Somethin's obviously botherin' ya'." She put a hoof on Halo's shoulder.

Before Halo could even consider telling Applejack about her time at Ponyville elementary, another, shriller voice called out to Applejack. "Sis! What're yah doin'! We got apples tah sell!" Another filly with a light creamy coat and fiery red mane called out. Halo squinted, recognizing the other pony, in particular the pink bow in her mane. She was one of the students in Miss Cheerilee's class.

"It's all right sugar cube," Applejack answered back, "come over here a spell." Waving the filly over.

The small filly looked disgruntled, obviously she really wanted to sell those apples for some reason; it was only a guess, but Halo thought it was about more than making money. Halo waited as she trotted over.

"What is it Apple-" She stopped mid-sentence as she recognized Halo. "Hey! Your the new girl in mah class!" She said with a big grin.

"Yup," Halo answered back, feeling more at ease.

"So how was yer first day?" She asked without realizing. "Miss Cheerilee is pretty awesome huh?"

"Yeah," That was the one thing Halo could be truthful about. Miss Cheerilee was definitely an awesome teacher, and a good friend. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to tell them about how she really felt at school, trying to come up with another lie. "It was pretty good."

It didn't work. Applejack and the young filly exchanged worried glances, and then Applejack tried to change the subject.

"Well, this is my little sister Applebloom. She helps me around the farm and sellin' the apples."

"Hi, I'm –" Halo was interrupted by Applebloom.

"Yeah, Halo Phyre, I was sitting on the other side of the room." Applebloom said casually. Then she said something Halo didn't expect, but was nonetheless glad to hear. "Don't let them other ponies get to yah." Applebloom smiled and winked.

That made Halo feel a good bit better, but not nearly enough. "Thanks, I guess."

"Yeeerrrr welcome!" Applebloom said enthusiastically, smiling even bigger.

Halo looked up at the waning sun, she really should get back. Heart was likely wondering where she was. "Um," She started. "You wouldn't happen to know where our shop is would you?" Halo blushed in embarrassment, aware that her question was an odd one. Forgetting where your own house was? She fought the urge to smack her forehead with her hoof again.

Applejack's big smile reappeared. "It should be just over thar!" She pointed to another intersection just a few yards away.

"Oh," Halo's blush deepened, and she chuckled nervously. "Right, thanks! It was nice meeting you Applebloom!" Halo trotted off quickly, eager to get home.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

"There," Heart Phyre said as she finished drying the last white plate and tucked it away within its cabinet. "Every pot and pan, dish and cup, perfectly clean." The kitchen sparkled, _literally_. Every surface retained a sheen that had not likely been seen in years. When Heart made breakfast this morning all she did was a rudimentary dusting, just enough cleaning so that sanitation wouldn't be a problem. But after Halo had left for school, she really cracked down. Dusting, washing, and sanitizing every nook and cranny. The floor was mopped and one of her neighbors had generously given her some floor wax for a wonderful finish. Let's just say that dust bunnies were now extinct in this kitchen.

Heart Phyre's chest swelled with immense pride at her work, the fruits of her labors would show for years to come; or at least until supper time. Cooking tended to make a mess, especially when Heart was preparing.

Heart sighed, content. She headed for the living room, which was actually a smaller room connected to the main sales floor. It was set up for the most part, furniture, entertainment center, etcetera, but several boxes still needed to be unpacked. Heart had planned for this area to be a lounge for the store, where customers could relax and read material or watch videos, and for it to be their personal living room. As she came in, the first thing in view was the large screen television box, front and center, two windows flanking either side. A couch and a pair of bean bag chairs set up in prime time view, with a simple wooden coffee table between them. The walls themselves were lined with more shelves, boasting a rather small collection of books. Heart made a mental note to ask Twilight if she could get copies of some of the library's books to help fill the holes. For now, she just had what she brought with her from Buckson. The rest of the room had a dozen more bean bag chairs arranged in reading circles, simple colorful carpets adding a final touch and contrast to the floor's new sheen.

_Soon, _Heart thought to herself, imagining the room once it was complete. _Very soon._

She plopped herself on the couch, relaxing for the first time that day. Silence. Almost utter silence. The only exception was the occasional clopping as somepony passed by close to the shop, or the twitter of nearby birds. Heart had never heard such beauty, as Buckson was always so noisy. The sound of the city was often quite irritating and cost her several sleepless nights. No matter what time of day or night it was, there was the constant sound of hooves. Not so much due to volume, but the concrete sidewalks just made it echo, and _loudly. _Punctuated frequently by the blaring horn of a taxi carriage. Sometimes Heart wondered how anypony got to sleep, so much dang noise and all. Just another in an increasingly long list of pleasant trade-offs to moving.

The sweet lull approached, beckoning Heart Phyre to dream land. Either her body was aching so badly that she had gone numb, or this couch was far more comfortable than she had given credit for. Briefly wondering if this was what it was like to sleep on a cloud. Another mental note; ask Rainbow Dash if clouds were all they were cracked up to be as beds...

Heart's ear twitched as a tiny _click_ made itself known, briefly shattering the perfect silence. Glancing around the room, the deep orange pony looked for the source. It sounded like it came from upstairs. Yawning, she looked around the room, searching for a clock to tell her the time.

_Ugh, _she sighed. _Dang it, need to hang that clock up._ Heart cursed what she perceived as momentary laziness in the face of so much still left undone. Yawning again, she regretfully dragged herself up from the cozy couch, a near instant longing to plop back down to nod off. She fought that urge. Whatever it was, she needed to investigate to find out if it was important or not. Yet another habit that tagged along from her days in Buckson.

Heart made her way to the stairs with little mental effort. She had been moving around the house all day, doing activities, unpacking, and in general getting the layout of the place down as soon as possible to make the transition easier. Many of the boxes that had been laid on the floor had been removed, their contents dispersed in appropriate places. Pictures and portraits decorated the hallway walls, a couple tables holding decorative knick-knacks. She paused in the dim hallway and listened.

_Thump._

Heart's ear twitched again, to her right, a little further down. Making an extra effort to minimize noise, she crept down the hallway passing her own room and making her way to the second bedroom, which belonged to her younger sister. Pressing her ear on the door just in time to hear a second thump, dulled by the springs of a mattress, their resounding squeak audible even through the door.

_I guess school isn't quite as long here in Ponyville._ Heart thought, as she was sure the schedule wouldn't be the same as the older elementary school. Although, Heart's brow furrowed at the possibility that she had skipped out on class. Anypony with eyes could have seen Halo was not very excited to go. She shook her head, berating herself for considering her own sister would skip class! She taught her better than that.

But still... the thought nagged at the adult pegasus.

Heart pressed her ear against the door a second time, listening for anything, and was rewarded with nothing. Most likely the little filly was exhausted from her day and was trying to catch some z's. Briefly Heart considered letting her sister sleep, but going to bed at this time of day would seriously mess with Halo's sleep schedule. She would wake up at three in the morning, and be dead tired by noon. Heart knew from experience that it was a vicious cycle, from her own days as a hyperactive young filly.

The door creaked open, and the mare entered the room as quietly as possible. Just as she thought, there was a little orange lump with a yellow bow lying on top of the bed. There was little light in the room as the wooden slat blinds had been closed, Heart nearly tripped on the carelessly tossed saddle bag that sat in the middle of the floor. She paused at the side of the bed, Halo's back to her, watching as the little yellow vest moved up and down in rhythm with the soft breathing.

Heart smiled. Then she tore her gaze from her sister to take a look outside. It was still a lovely day, but that wasn't what she was looking for. Scanning the ground below, she spotted several fillies around the same age as Halo running and playing in the marketplace below. She sighed easily in relief; surely that is proof enough that she didn't skip class.

Now Heart returned her gaze to the sleeping beauty, and her own heart melted. She felt blessed to have Halo with her now. An immense sense of appreciation and gratitude, and joy at sharing a new life with her.

Halo shuddered in her sleep, a worrisome moan escaping her mouth. Heart's attention jumped and her smile disappeared. Medical instinct kicked in as her mind raced through what might be wrong. When Halo was much smaller, the responsibility of taking care of her as a foal was thrust upon Heart; so she read as many books as she could on the subject of caring for the young. First, she examined Halo's breathing; her chest moved at an easy rate, air flow from her nostrils was good. Next, she gently checked her pulse, it was a little high, but nothing to worry about; perhaps being physical exertion from the trip home from school. Finally Heart softly pressed her hoof against Halo's forehead, feeling for a temperature; all normal.

Heart blinked several times. As far as she could tell, Halo was just fine. Examining her sister for the fifth time, finding nothing of concern. Heart forced herself to relax, taking another look up and down the filly's prone body. She was about to leave when she did a double take at the pillow; a dark, damp spot forming around her sister's head.

At first Heart thought it was just drool, but something was off. It wasn't centered around Halo's mouth, which was firmly closed. Instead, it was a few inches higher, around her eyes. Only as she stared at this phenomenon did Heart hear the slight sobbing. Halo was crying in her sleep.

Although, the small filly was doing more than weep in her sleep, Heart heard her mumbling too. Bowing her head to get a good listen; it was pretty hard to hear what she was saying, catching only snippets. Something about it all being the same, that it wasn't fair, why her, and... regret. But regret for what? Before it was all repeated, Heart heard her name mentioned, along with 'sorry for everything'.

If Heart wasn't confused and worried before, she was now. Under the impression that today, and previous school days had gone well. What was the same? What was unfair? What did she mean by 'sorry for everything'? All these questions swam in Heart's head all at once. Perhaps it was time to get some answers.

Heart gently shook Halo's shoulders, trying to rouse her sister from sleep.

"Hey," Heart spoke softly. "Wake up sleepy, it's too early for bed."

The filly rubbed her eyes as she lay there in the bed, groaning when her restful sleep had been interrupted, likely irritated too. Halo mumbled, asking for five more minutes, as she usually does. Trying to nestle back down to sleep. But Heart wasn't having any of that, she shook Halo some more, repeating the same words that she needed to get up.

"Come on," Heart said. "I'll make you something special, but you need to get up first." Resorting to a form of bribery wasn't something Heart liked to do often, but this was a special circumstance. She knew something was bothering Halo, and evidently it had for quite some time.

As she exited the room she called out to her sister, asking that she be down in ten minutes, caving in to her original request for more sleeping time. Even though she gave Halo this, she added, "I do _expect_ you to be down in ten minutes Halo Phyre." Heart used her sister's full name, in a wary tone.

Back down in the kitchen, Heart made note of the time and went about collecting what she would need to fulfill her own promise. Gathering a metallic pot from the nearby cupboard and filling it with water, finally placing it over the stove top to heat up. Next she retrieved a pair of mugs, and a curved, unmarked lidded container.

_This ought to cheer her up,_ Heart thought as she removed the lid and sniffed its contents. The rich chocolate smell with a hint of mint wafting up her nose. Dosing out the light-brown powder evenly into the mugs. After putting the mix away, she glanced at the time again, the clock hands indicating that it had almost been ten minutes.

Heart waited a spell, listening. Light hoof steps were heard, and she smiled as Halo rounded the corner with a bad case of bed head and a wrinkled bow to match.

"School that tiring hm?" Heart asked.

Halo sniffed the air, taking in the warm minty goodness. Heart pulled up a chair for her, which she silently accepted. When she got close, she could see the tear streaks on Halo's face. Either she didn't know they were there or she did not care. Likely the former.

Heart made her way to check on the water, which was coming close to temperature. "So," She started. "how was your first day." She focused on Halo's face, carefully examining her reaction.

Halo winced slightly. "It was... good."

"Did you make any new friends?" It was a semi-innocent question, which she had a genuine interest in.

A slight droop in Halo's eyelids as she focused on the grain of the table. "Yeah, I did." Heart waited to hear more.

"Applebloom is in my class." Halo said plainly. When Heart didn't say anything, Halo added that Applebloom was Applejack's little sister.

"And anypony else?" Again, Heart paid special attention to analyze her sister's reaction.

"Yeah," Halo said, a tiny twitch of the ear made itself known. "I met a few other fillies in the class that seemed okay." It was all in her tone. Heart turned to the stove, the water now at a rolling boil. She paused, collecting her thoughts.

_Seems she is having trouble making friends. Why doesn't she just say so? Why lie?_

Heart distractedly fills each mug with hot water and stirs the mucky brown contents, creating a smooth velvety elixir. She then reached over to another small container and dropped a few marshmallow candies into one mug – something she knew that Halo would enjoy. She made her way back to the table, presenting the mallow mug to Halo first before taking her own seat directly across from her.

Sitting there, Heart lets her sister take the first sip before taking one of her own, contemplating the next move. The warming charm was working; Halo's smile returned bit by bit. Deciding then to press her next question.

"Was Miss Cheerilee everything I've heard about?" Heart asked. She already knew about how boring the teachers back in Buckson were, having been called to the principals office a few times when Halo was caught sleeping in class. Truth be told, she was half expecting a call or message from Miss Cheerilee. More out of habit than a lack of trust in her abilities.

Halo perked up. "Yeah, she's a fantastic teacher. She's very nice, and as weird as it sounds, she makes everything interesting." Heart sat quietly, sipping her mug occasionally as Halo went on about Miss Cheerilee this and Miss Cheerilee that, and drew the conclusion that the teacher wasn't the problem. She could tell that was the truth by her sister's rising enthusiasm.

_So if it's not the teacher, it may be the friend situation._ Heart recalled Halo stating that she had many friends in Buckson elementary. She was happy to hear it, but something else nagged at her as she considered this.

Halo had finished speaking by then, and was sipping more frequently on the cooling chocolate. Heart hesitated to mention what she heard while she was in Halo's room. On one hoof, it might be the only way to get Halo to tell her the truth about what was going on. And on the other hoof, it might be seen as a privacy or trust violation somehow. She would need a different tact.

"Have you heard anything from your old friends in Buckson?"

Heart had gotten up to heat more water, anticipating that her sister would want seconds, and had her back to Halo. While she was unable to see the filly's face, she did hear the failed attempt to hide a slight sigh. The seemingly innocent question had upset her quite a bit. As a slight apology, she added a couple extra marshmallows this cup.

Heart waited until she had given the refreshed cup to Halo and returned to her own seat. This time, Halo had propped her head up on one hoof and stared into the mug aimlessly, either very bored or deep in thought. Now Heart decided to press a bit more.

"Surely one of them would have written something," She continued, again watching Halo's reaction. "I didn't forget to give them our new address did I?" It was a feint of a question. She had indeed handed out the new address to Halo's old friends so they could write her.

Halo's eyes widened a little bit, "No, no. They got the new address I'm sure. You don't need to worry about it. I mean they might be too busy to write." A weak smiled pervaded as she seemed to talk rather quickly. Heart took a long, slow sip while her sister gabbed.

She was keeping something from her, that much Heart Phyre was sure.

"Honey," She began with a sweet nickname, her tone soft. "Is there anything you need to tell me?" Heart laid her cards on the table, putting on her best I'm-concerned-about-you face. This was it; depending on what direction the conversation took now, she would either find out what was wrong, or it'd just get buried again.

She watched as Halo seemed to squirm, shifting position as though the short time she had been sitting there was becoming uncomfortable. Her gaze going back and forth between the steaming mug and direct contact with Heart Phyre's eyes.

Halo sighed deeply, closing her deep emerald eyes. Instinctively, Heart perked her ears up, intent on catching every word.

"If everypony is saying it," Halo paused. "then I guess it must be obvious huh?" Halo stared back at her older sister. Heart stayed silent, letting her continue. "First Miss Cheerilee, and then Applejack. And now you too. I've been lying to you Heart. Ever since Buckson." She started choking up as the truth spilled out. Heart remained silent, hanging on the gravity of every word.

"I-I didn't have any f-friends in Buckson," Heart watched as Halo's ears bent back, the water works building. "I couldn't t-tell you because I..." She trailed off for a moment, contemplating what to say.

"It's okay," Heart interrupted softly. "Please tell me..."

A weak smile appeared and briefly vanished on Halo, she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I couldn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry about me." She spoke rather quickly, eager for the truth to finally escape, like a spillway easing pressure on a dam.

Heart blinked. "Worry?" Not quite understanding what her sister meant.

"You had to do everything back in Buckson, Heart. The bills, buying the food, working your own job while taking on more odd jobs just to get enough money, and cooking and cleaning." It was true. Since their parents were not there for them, Heart had to take the heavy burden of doing everything. "The _last_ thing I wanted to do was add one more thing for you to worry about..." The tears came in earnest now as Halo lost the fight to hold them back.

Heart said nothing. What could she say? She got up from her chair and quickly made her way to Halo, who was now bowing her head low to the table, sobbing. Putting a hoof on Halo's shoulder, the older mare pulled the little filly into a hug. It caught Halo in surprise, as it took her several moments to comprehend what was happening.

"Oh Halo," Heart began. "I'll always be concerned about you, because I _love _you. Nothing is more important to me than you having a happy life. Nothing else matters to me more than you." Now her own tears were flowing, overjoyed that she could help with this burden.

"Y-you mean y-you're not m-mad?" Halo asked as Heart held her with both hooves, looking deep into her misty eyes.

"No," Heart said. "Of course not! I just wish you had told me the truth sooner Halo." She paused a moment. "Please, don't apologize, there is nothing to forgive." The two stared into each other before embracing in another hug.

_Groan._

The tender moment was interrupted by two monstrous growls, their stomachs signaling that they needed food. Apparently all the emotional outbursts of late were making them very hungry. Heart broke the hug and set Halo back on the chair.

"Now," Heart Phyre said. "Who wants a grilled cheese and pickle sandwich while they tell me how their day _really_ went?" Heart smiled at the little filly with her eyebrow cocked.

"I do!" Halo smiled wide, showing off her pearly whites.

And so Heart Phyre grabbed her favorite apron, reinvigorated as she began cooking a gourmet meal. She listened as Halo described her day at school in earnest detail. Starting with the surprise beheld when she first saw the school and it's interior. Miss Cheerilee when class had begun, and the stage fright she felt when introducing herself to the whole class. Heart laughed when Halo talked about the wild enthusiasm she had when trying to answer a question. And as promised, the filly told her older sister about the not so good parts too. The other filly who was called Diamond Tiara that had made fun of her, and the other remarks that were made. Halo still sighed at the thought, but went on to explain how Cheerilee had gone out of her way to help her feel better. Heart beamed, delighted that Ponyville was blessed with such a great teacher.

"I know it hurts when even just one filly acts so mean," Heart was talking about Diamond Tiara. "But in truth, ponies like her will be everywhere, no matter where you go." It was the painful truth, but Halo needed to hear it. "I'm sure that everypony else in the class doesn't think that way about you. And even if that were true, why should that keep you from enjoying life?"

What was left of the dark cloud above Halo's spiky maned orange head disappeared at this new revelation, her eyes growing wider as she beamed at Heart's words. The experienced mare decided to continue with one last statement.

"You said Applejack's sister, Applebloom, was in your class right?" Halo just nodded. "Maybe you can make friends with her. And if this Tiara character says anything, just ignore her. Don't let others ruin your day or your life." Heart served the golden brown sandwiches, the gooey cheese oozing out of the corners.

"Thanks sis." Halo thanked her for both the sandwich and the advice. Heart didn't have to hope she would put it to good use, she _knew_ she would.

Heart watched Halo bite into the cheesy goodness, laughing as a long yellow string drooped from her smiling mouth.

"Did I ever tell you about a colt named Johnny?" Halo shook her head mid bite. Heart went on, telling her sister story after story about her own experiences in school, trying to provide any more help she could. This went on for a time, laughing and sharing as they ate their lunches.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

The following morning was very similar to the previous. Halo had difficulty waking up, simply because it was way... too... early. Breakfast was not a banquet as before, but her big sister had made her favorite pancakes again, and this time Halo scooted off to school by herself. Cantering happily, making her way to the schoolhouse on the outskirts of Ponyville, actually eager to get there.

She rounded the bend and was greeted by almost the exact same scene as yesterday; fillies playing in the schoolyard waiting for the bell. Halo didn't quite have the courage to speak to anypony yet, so she sat on the same bench again. Only this time she began to draw on a piece of paper with some crayons instead of moping.

Before Halo knew it, Miss Cheerilee had appeared on the front steps and rang the morning bell. Halo jumped up and raced for the door, eager to begin class. She couldn't help but giggle as Miss Cheerilee was startled by the stark enthusiasm Halo displayed heading for her seat.

"Well somepony is happy today." Miss Cheerilee said cheerfully to Halo as she recovered from the surprise, that smile ever present.

The orange filly just smiled big and nodded, patiently waiting for the rest of the students to take their own seats. Halo noticed Diamond Tiara and her friend enter the room, catching a glimpse of that smug _I'm-better-than-you_ look that she seemed to wear all the time. But that didn't bother her anymore, simply ignoring it.

Class continued as normal. Or as normal as having an awesome teacher that is. Miss Cheerilee was constantly switching up boring explanations with fun examples while they studied mathematics. After that they read along with Cheerilee from one of the Daring Do novels, playfully changing her voice switching from character to character, occasionally asking the class a question relevant to what was happening in the book – Halo eagerly answered many of them. Yes, Halo did hear the smirks and quips coming from Tiara, but she was having far too much fun to bother with that.

Halo actually felt sad when recess came around, hesitating to leave the classroom while unintentionally being the last pony out. Once more she retreated to her solitary bench, where she happily worked on drawing the picture she was working on earlier, finishing it just before the bell sounded. Again rushing towards the school door.

While in class, Halo learned that Tiara's friend was named Silver Spoon, and also learned some of the names of her other classponies. The rest of the school day was a blast, and gave Halo new motivation to stay on a good sleep schedule so she wouldn't be tired during class. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and that meant her time at school.

Halo stepped outside into the bright sunlight, conflicting emotions about going home. She nearly reached the wooden gate when she heard a familiar country voice call out to her.

"Hey! Halo, wait up a sec!" Halo turned as Applebloom cantered up next to her with two other fillies. One was an orange pegasus with a slightly purple messy mane, and the other a creamy white unicorn with a well maintained curly mane who stopped on either side of Applebloom.

"Guys, this is Halo Phyre. Halo, these are mah bestest friends, Scootaloo," Applebloom gestured towards the pegasus, "and Sweetie Belle." and then pointed at the unicorn.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said hi simultaneously.

"Hello," Halo replied in kind.

The four of them sat down on the ground and began chatting merrily. Asking about each other's likes and dislikes, their family, among other things. Applebloom re-introduced themselves as the "Cutie-Mark-Crusaders" – a club name they had come up with since none of them had their cutie marks yet. Halo laughed as Applebloom entertained her with stories of how the club was formed – delighted when she found out a good bit of it was because of Diamond Tiara – and some of their many adventures and mishaps. She enjoyed the great warmth in her chest – remembering it as the same feeling when Halo first met Applejack, and the same feeling she had towards Heart Phyre. _So is this what it feels like to have friends? _Halo thought, more than distracted by the Crusader's tales.

"Wow," Halo said when Applebloom finished one of the more recent stories. "That sounded like a real bind!" Halo laughed, the story she was just told ended with the CMC being covered in tree sap – and by their groans it sounded like it wasn't for the first time.

"E'yup!" Applebloom replied with a big grin.

"Hey, maybe we should invite her?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Scootaloo chimed in. Before all three of them exchanged nods and glances.

Halo blinked a couple times, having no idea what they were talking about.

"Would ya like ta come to our sleep over party? We have a club house on mah sister's farm, Sweet Apple Acres!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle smiled real big as Applebloom formally extended the invitation.

Halo gasped in delight. "You bet I would! I am so there!" She shot in the air with glee, performing a high and fast barrel roll before landing softly again on the ground. Halo blushed when the CMC wowed at her performance. "Eh, that was nothing." Rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

"Great!" Applebloom and her friends walked off, singing a chorus of goodbyes and see you later, waving merrily to their new friend.

"Yes!" Halo said repeatedly, hopping several times on the ground. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Halo paused mid air when she saw Miss Cheerilee observing her through the school window. Surprised as she was, Halo slammed into the ground, too surprised to prevent her fall. Miss Cheerilee stifled a laugh and walked away from the window, but not before seeing Halo blush fiercely.

Dusting herself off, a paper dropped out of her saddle bag. It was her drawing from recess. It was a fairly well drawn picture of Miss Cheerilee and Halo, sitting on a bench, looking at each other and exchanging warm smiles. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "I almost forgot." Darting back up to the door and knocking feverishly.

"Well hello again Halo," The teacher greeted her, playfully checking the door for damage. "I see you're doing much better today."

"I am," Halo replied. "I wanted to say thank you for talking to me yesterday." She reached back into her saddle bag and removed the picture. "I mpmade phiss phor phyou." Halo spurted out.

Miss Cheerilee took the picture, not at all bothered that some of it was slobbered on, her cheerful smile increasing ten-fold. "Oh thank you Halo. I love it. And as I said, if you ever need somepony to talk to..."

Halo finished for her. "I will Miss Cheerilee. I promise." She felt her wings twitching.

"See you tomorrow!" Halo waved as she headed for the door.

"Goodbye!" Cheerilee called behind her.

Launching herself into the air, Halo stretched her wings and flew towards town. She couldn't wait to tell her big sister about the day she just had. New friends, fun class, and she had the courage to stand up to, or at least not let mean fillies get the better of her! Grinning from ear to ear, Halo thought about the upcoming sleepover. She guessed it went to show that things won't get better until you try to make them better. Not to let the small things distract you from what really matters, and to keep a stiff upper lip. And while you may lie to family to keep them from worrying about you, it can often do more harm than good. Besides, family will help you whatever the problem may be.

Halo paused, not sure where that monologuing speech came from. Turning up with nothing, she shrugged and moved on, once again eager to end the day, but for very different reasons.

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	3. Chapter 3

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust

Story Written by: TOOS0BER

Chapter 2: The Deepest Appleseed

Weather forecasts were a funny thing in a land like Equestria. It was tirelessly monitored, rigorously maintained, and strictly scheduled in the whole of the land by the fleets of pegasi who chose that as their lifetime career. This included all manner of weather; from sunny days, to rainy evenings, and even massive storms. Though control over the weather was so orderly, care had to be given to the environment. Too many good days could result in a major disaster later, and vice versa for having too many storms or other such occurrences. The schedule was strictly adhered to, but even so, exceptions were always made, as with the situation of life. Meaning that sometimes life does not always agree with what had been planned.

Completely not the case for this fine day as the golden glow of sunshine ran awash over the country fields of Sweet Apple Acres, the glorious sun cresting the eastern horizon. The quiet still giving way as the morning approaches, not a cloud in sight to hamper the beauty. On queue, a nearby rooster makes its shrieking call, signaling to all within earshot that a new day had begun.

Applejack slowly opened her eyes, blinking the vestiges of sleep away. Casually she stretched, reminding the firm muscles in her body that sleeping time was over, yawning mildly. She rubbed her eyes, staring out at the picture-perfect scene before her. Jumping out from under the home-made comforter with hand-stitched apples of all different colors and sizes, Applejack grabbed her ol' stetson hat, rubbing the rim with her hoof from sheer habit.

_Boy howdy,_ Applejack thought as she glanced once more at the day before her. _'Nother b-e-a-utiful day! _She headed for the dresser, sporting a modest vanity mirror, a bright smiling version of herself staring back. Then brushing the morning mane from her head before adding the red ribbons that made up her ponytails.

The daylight poured in, illuminating the bright green room decorated with all manner of apple memorabilia. Hand-carved apples lined the trim of the floor and ceiling, matching the stitched, curvaceous fruit in the green drawn curtains. Although apples were indeed the dominant shape, not everything was mackintosh design. The two lamps at either side of Applejack's bed were fairly ordinary, only having a red and green contrasting color scheme – of apples. Okay so maybe everything _was _apple design...

When the light orange mare finished with her hair – perhaps the only frilly frou frou task she ever undertook during her day – she moved to the bed, the sheets and comforter strewn about. Grabbing the hem of both, Applejack made one quick and violent swing of her head, the sheets coming down – almost – neatly in place; just one wrinkle ruining what would have been a perfectly smooth bed, good enough.

Applejack proceeded downstairs, ready to attend to the next order of business. Breakfast.

The kitchen wasn't much to look at. Stove, a few cabinets, and a simple four-legged table undecorated with ordinary chairs. Certainly not a five-star kitchen in Canterlot, but Applejack wouldn't trade it for the world. She quickly prepared a breakfast decidedly themed of apples. Apple cakes, apple tarts, fresh apple juice, and even some ordinary apple slices.

Applejack scarfed down her fill, leaving a generous amount for her brother Big McIntosh, her sister Applebloom, and Granny Smith. Standing on the porch, she looked out over Sweet Apple Acres, whistling at the abundance of apples in need of bucking.

"Sure got mah work cut out fer me ta-day," Applejack exclaimed to nopony in particular, heading off towards the nearest tree.

Time breezed by with the occasional gust of fresh air, rewarding the farm mare with it's cooling touch. Out in the country, the best tool for telling the time was the shifting shadows cast by the tall apple trees and how much they've moved since last they were checked. Routines that were short were often the most repeated and monotonous ones; applebucking was certainly among them. Placing the wicker baskets around the base of the trees, and then striking the trunk with her hind legs, the vibrations causing the apples to fall. The real skill here, for which Applejack was practically legend, was being able to clear an entire tree with just one buck. By the time noon had rolled around, the bright orange mare had cleared several acres worth, wiping the glistening sweat from her brow and, again, rubbing the rim of her ol' stetson.

Movement caught Applejack's eye as a cream colored filly with a pink bow in her crimson mane trotted down the main dirt road, following the white fence line. None other than her young sister, with a trio of other fillies wandering by following Applebloom. The farm mare recognized two of the three as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, which were long time friends of her filly sister. Applejack paused at the fourth mare, not quite placing the pony.

Squinting, Applejack facehooved as she finally recognized the yellow bow in the young _pegasus's_ bright orange mane as Halo Phyre. Applejack smiled with pride, so proud that her sister had made a new friend.

The smile disappeared as Applejack glanced towards the sun, then at the shadows cast by the nearby trees.

"Uh oh," She said, "Best make mah way into town, the market rush is gonna start."

In quick succession, Applejack gathered up the day's batch of delicious fruit and made her way into the marketplace to sell. Wearing her white storekeeper apron, Applejack advertised to the crowds of passing ponies, eager to attract some hungry patrons. Shortly after noon was always the best time of day. It was around lunchtime, and not everypony always had time to sit and eat at one of them fancy restaurants, and an apple was the perfect on-the-go snack. The blond pony greeted passersby as they came and went, smiling and nodding, occasionally tipping her stetson. Far more than once the gestures had triggered an impulse buy.

"Y'all come back now, ya hear!" Applejack waved as she shouted the goodbye to her latest customer, depositing his bits in the front pouch of the apron, straightening her hat. Business had been good. The cart was nearly empty, in stark contrast to the bursting pouch of the apron, burdened with many of the solid gold coins used as currency. Packing up the vendor cart, Applejack made her way home, adjusting her ol' hat to keep the sun from her green eyes.

"Did you hear?" Applejack picked up on a nearby conversation between a pair of mares. The one that spoke first she recognized as the earth pony Bon-bon, her dark blue, pink mane and tail standing out. "The pegasi missed _another_ scheduled storm." The stranger pointed out to her friend.

"Really?" Her friend replied, none other than the unicorn Lyra, minty green coat and matching two-toned hair. "I wonder when they're going to make up for it."

Applejack picked up the pace, a frown creasing her lips. Storms never brought up good memories for her, preferring the sunshine any day. The pegasi of Ponyville had something of a reputation for missing scheduled events like storms and downpours, crucial for the balance of the climate. Applejack sighed, thinking how she would straighten up them pegasi if she had wings. If anything annoyed her, it was the laziness in the face of responsibility.

By the time she had made it back to the farm, the sun was nearing the mountains, only a few precious hours of daylight left. The first thing she did was proceed into the farmhouse to deposit the day's earnings before attending to the rest of the responsibilities entrusted to her. Bruised, battered, and rotten apples had to be gathered up to be used as food for the animals or compost. The dishes left over from the morning's meal had to be washed and put away. And on top of that, dinner had to be prepared. Applejack never seemed to mind that there was always so much work and not much time for anything else, simply because she felt there was nothing more rewarding than seeing the fruits of your labor. Pun partially intended.

Applejack stands over a black cauldron, wearing a simple white apron, stirring in ingredient this, and spices that; making a savory vegetable stew. The kitchen stinks to the high heavens with the dreamy aroma of cinnamon and apples, a pie baking in the wood fire cast iron oven. Covering the stew with the heavy metal lid, Applejack checks on the pie, as well as the buttery muffins cooking alongside.

_Still needs a might more cookin',_ Examining the pastry with a practiced eye.

Shouts outside the propped open kitchen window catch Applejack's attention. Applebloom's friends were finally leaving for the night after spending the day doing, well, whatever her sister and her friends do during the day. Watching as two fillies, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, walked and the third flying a few feet off the ground. That had to be Halo Phyre, holding herself back to keep pace with the others. Applebloom herself was outside the older mare's line of sight, but the light from inside the house cast her long silhouette, showing that she was waving enthusiastically, and only disappeared once the others had vanished over the horizon.

Smiling warmly as the young fillies said their farewells, Applejack felt that pride for her lovable sister again, then went to make the final adjustments to the stew.

"Soup's on everypony!" Applejack called as she set the last placements at the dining table. Big McIntosh and Applebloom zipped into the room almost before the blond mare had finished her sentence, while Granny Smith tailed behind.

"Boy that sure smells good!" Applebloom commented on the stew.

"Ee'yup!" Came McIntosh's simple response, while Granny Smith mumbled something about being starved half to death.

"Awe shucks," Applejack said, blushing. "It's just a simple stew, nothin' special." Being completely modest, belittling the fantastic dinner she had prepared.

Her little sister rolled her eyes. "Don't be so modest Applejack!" Calling out her sister, "You've outdone yerself!"

"Ee'yup." Big Mac agreed.

"Well," AJ rolled her own eyes in response. "Dig in then 'fore it gets colder than a shaved sheep in the middle of winter!" Dismissing the argument, if you can call it that, before it could continue.

The Apple's sit down to their family meal, saying grace to the princesses, Celestia and Luna, for blessing them with another perfect day and a beautiful night; with hope that there will be many, many more. They each talk about what they'd done during the day. Applebloom discusses school, and sadly tells Applejack and Big Mac about another failed attempt to gain their cutie marks. Her older siblings stating, yet again, that she simply need be patient. Applebloom huffs, and eats the rest of her meal in silence. Big Mac and Applejack discuss farming and preparations for the applebuck season when there's a frantic knock at the door.

"Who the hay could that be at this hour?" Applejack says, standing up and moving to the door, slightly annoyed at being interrupted from her meal.

She jumped as the door swung open. Just outside stood an adult, gray mare with a light yellow mane and tail. The most outstanding feature was her yellow eyes – which were looking in _two _directions, and a mild smile plastered on her face.

Applejack blinked, and recognized the mare's cutie mark, a group of about seven bubbles.

"Well howdy Derpy," Smiling as she tipped her hat. "How is it you always know when Ah'm bakin' muffins?" It was a recurring thing with Derpy Hooves. Somehow she always knew when there were fresh baked muffins about. It was like Pinkie Pie's "pinkie sense", but far more predictable. All you had to do was say muffins and there was Derpy. The farm mare disappeared into the kitchen and promptly returned, a paper bag full of the delectable breads in her mouth, setting the bag in front of her guest.

"Here ya are Derpy," Applejack said as Derpy smiled brightly. AJ focused frequently at Derpy's nose, as looking into her crossed eyes seemed very... odd, not knowing which one to look at the most. The gray mare continued to smile for a few moments, making Applejack feel slightly awkward, before taking the bag in her own mouth and prepared to fly off. The farmer tensed, knowing that her guest wasn't the most coordinated flier, bracing for what she believed would be a messy take off followed by a disastrous crash. She sighed as the pegasus managed to take off without so much as scuffing the paint on the house.

With that out of the way, Applejack returned to the dining room and her meal.

Applebloom gave her a quizzical look. "Who was that sis?"

"Oh just Derpy wantin' some of mah muffins," Applejack said flatly, planting herself in the wooden chair. "'Mazes me how that pony can pick out the smell of muffins like that. Pretty darned close to spooky if'n ya ask me."

"Ee'yup." Big McIntosh said, taking another spoonful of the stew.

"Huh," Replied the young filly, digging into her food with gusto.

The rest of the meal went on in silence, everypony focusing on filling their hungry bellies. Big McIntosh set out to the barn to finish up some carpentry work in preparation for the next day while Applebloom helped her older sister clean up the mess, Granny Smith sound asleep in the rocking chair in the living room. The two of them working together, the dishes were done in no time at all, making the chore into a game like they always did; passing dishes this way and that. They had gotten so good at it that they rarely ever dropped a dish; the last time being nearly four months ago – a personal best.

At that point any trace of the sun or its light had vanished completely, replaced by the cool night sky with hundreds of twinkling stars, a waning moon standing watch over the farm in tranquil silence. Applejack followed her younger sister upstairs to the filly's room. As she rounded the corner, Applebloom clumsily climbed her way into bed, snuggling under the partially made covers, waiting. The orange mare took the comforter in her mouth and covered the filly up to her neck, then used her hoof, tucking her sister in.

"Would ya like a bedtime story sugar cube?" Applejack tenderly asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes please."Applebloom replied softly as the adult mare made her way towards the nearby bookshelf. Glancing this way and that, Applejack read each of the titles, trying to pick out one she hadn't already read a billion times.

"How 'bout _Daring Do and the quest for the Sigil Stone_?" Applejack suggested, looking over her shoulder. Applebloom nodded slightly, her face partially sunken into the feathery pillow. Applejack smiled as she plucked the book from its resting place, pulling up a stool next to the bed, and began to read.

"Daring Do trekked through the scorching desert, nothing but sand and desolation as far as the eye could see. The sun bearing down on her from what felt like every conceivable angle. She looked up, a circling ring of vultures hovering high in the sky, waiting in anticipation for their next meal..." Applejack read line for line, changing her voice whenever Daring Do or another of the book's characters spoke. She read on for several minutes, glancing up to see Applebloom struggling to stay awake to hear the story. Applejack read further.

"...the pitch black stone glowed bright red from Daring Do's touch, sending reverberating shock waves throughout the chamber. Fire seemed to appear from nowhere, streaming in a spiral pattern as it was sucked deep within the sphere. The tower itself was being torn apart by what seemed like hurricane strength winds, yet the heroine felt no tug or pull. She hoped the ebony armor she wore would be enough to protect her from harm, and as the violence seemed to reach its apex, all sound stopped. Every ember of flame had been sucked into the sphere...

"And at that moment..." Applejack paused again, peaking up over the book's rim at the tired filly. She was still awake, but fatigue was getting to her, the drooping eyelids gave clear evidence that Applebloom was close to falling asleep. Continuing on further...

"And at that moment everything went white. For just a few moments, there was nothing except Daring Do and the object of her intense search: the Sigil Stone. She desperately wanted to reach for it, but the disorientation got the better of her. As quickly as it came, the whiteness disappeared. Replaced by the dense trees of the forest she had been in only hours before. Unfortunately, gravity also returned; and Daring found herself plummeting into the ground with a crunching _thump,_snapping several twigs and crunching old, dried leaves. Daring struggled to her feet, trying to orient herself in case there was more danger. All was still within the forest, not a creature stirred in the quiet night air. The dark maned pegasus checked herself over, nothing more serious than a few cuts and a bruised ego. She searched around for the Sigil Stone, and found it resting on the grass but a few yards away..."

Applejack stopped reading as she heard the soft, rhythmic breathing. The young filly had finally fallen asleep. The farm pony smiled, gently closing the book and depositing it back on the shelf before quietly exiting the room. At some point Big McIntosh had gone to bed as well, his door closed.

The earth pony yawned, deciding it was now her turn to hit the hay. She made her way to the bathroom, readying herself for the sleep to come. Moments later, she was crawling under the covers, placing her beloved stetson on the dresser before blowing out the nearby lantern, engulfing herself in darkness, inviting the oblivion of sleep.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

_Cold. It just feels cold, and very very wet. Darkness everywhere, not a ray of sunlight to be found as Applejack looked out the farm window. The shrieking wind beat against the walls as heavy rainfall pattered the glass, as though it were trying to get to her. Lightning strikes off in the distance, followed shortly by the thunderous boom, making the mare jump._

_She turned around, eager to move away from the storm raging just outside. The living room was unlit, the shapes of the furniture barely visible amongst the darkness. Applejack moves around the house, taking care not to stub herself against the furnishings. Occasionally the room would light up for just a moment as more lightning periodically struck outside, casting long, fleeting shadows everywhere the bright light touched._

_Applejack made her way to the back door in the kitchen, bathed in the same shadow as the room prior. She waited for another lightning flash to reveal the obstacles; time went by, and when finally one did not appear, she tried to recall the layout from memory, and decided to try her luck._

Thump.

_Applejack tripped, falling for what seemed like an eternity before finally striking the hard wooden floor. She lay there,seeing stars and wondering why everything had suddenly grown fuzz. Out of nowhere, two blackened silhouettes stood over her. The young filly snapped to, sitting upright abruptly. Frantically she swung her head back and forth, searching for the figures that only moments ago were right next to her._

_Gone without a trace, Applejack realized, staring around the creepy darkness. Alone with just the constant pitter patter of the rain, nothing else stirred. The farm mare felt a cold sweat develop on her brow, barely comprehending what she had seen... or if it had been anything at all. It was a powerful feeling, the eeriness that made goosebumps form under her orange coat, darkness enshrouding every corner distorting reality, and the sheer lack of sound; minus that constant downpour outside._

_For a moment the room lit up as lightning flashed behind the farmhouse, two heads momentarily visible through the screen door. Applejack gasped, backing away from the door. Although it was difficult to tell in the dark, she could feel the chilling fear. Strangely, it was because she recognized at least some aspects of the mysterious specters. The heads of the creatures appeared to be pony in origin; they both wore a form of headgear. The first seemed like it was wearing an old rimmed hat, while the second had the familiar silhouette of a bow tied in its mane. Their maws were shaped different as well. The one with the bow had a small petite maw while the other a large square set jaw; meaning one was a mare, and the other a stallion. Applejack's heart skipped a beat, and against all logic, she headed for the door with the intention of going outside._

Crack._ The door slammed against the side of the back porch, forced open by the howling gale outside. Applejack shielded her eyes, searching for any sign of the pair in the sheet of water falling from the gray sky above. Minutes passed bearing no fruit for the search._

_The whole of Sweet Apple Acres lit up for the briefest of moments._

_Near the tree line Applejack spotted the mysterious duo. They had somehow made their way some distance to the apple orchard in a very short amount of time. The rain seemed to let up a bit, becoming less of a torrential downpour and more of a heavy drizzle. The wind practically died and there didn't seem to be anymore lightning for now._

_Timidly Applejack tread out onto the muddy dirt path, once she was sure of her footing, she broke out into a gallop, trying to close the distance. Doing so took much longer than memory served, having trotted that same path countless times before to buck apples, but finally she reached the tree line, entering the maze of wooden trunks._

_Clop, clop, clop. Moving through the forest, the dawning realization struck that everything felt... wrong. Every branch seemed twisted and malformed, even gnarled. The leaves, normally bright and green, were darker than the night sky. Even the apples, from the farm and family's namesake, looked completely different than usual. They seemed sunken, malnourished if such a thing were possible for fruit. The lack of sound drove Applejack's ears far behind her head, and she nearly tip-toed through the dank forest, keeping her head bent down and eyes forward; looking this way and that, expecting something to jump out and scare the living daylights out of her._

_After what felt like hours of searching and miles of marching, Applejack began to think she should turn back when an unusual pair of shapes appeared nearly as dots on the horizon. Against all reason, and ignoring the warning forming in her brain, she continued onward. In short succession, Applejack had closed the distance by nearly half, evident by the silhouettes growing larger. The forest lit up for the fourth time, and finally she could make out that they were a pair of ponies – more specially, she recognized _who _they were._

_The farm mare broke out into a run, desperate to get close to them, desperate to embrace. The background and foreground seemed to fade away, replaced by absolute darkness. The figures, while their limbs remained still, slowly moved farther away despite how fast Applejack ran. At some point, her cowpony hat had fallen off and disappeared into the forest floor. She didn't slow down, she couldn't, trying to catch up to those two had taken all of Applejack's concentration._

_She yelled out, begging the ponies to let her catch up. Her own voice sounded alien to her, squeakier, and far far younger. She took a moment to look down at her hard working legs as they ran. Staring in shock, realizing that the ground was much closer to her than before. The perplexing thought was banished from her mind, refocusing on the task at hand: she had to catch up somehow! She called out several more times in her strange voice. For every step she took towards them, they moved three away until finally they began to fade from sight. Applejack, already at her maximum, tried to pick up the pace even more, straining against the fatigue burning deep within her muscles._

_The muddy ground rushed up to meet her as Applejack tripped over a well hidden rock, face planting into the ground, skidding for several feet. She coughed and sputtered, expelling the gritty mud from her mouth. Looking up, the silhouettes of the ponies were still moving away rapidly, and Applejack called out again._

_"Ma! Pa! Don't leave me!" Applejack called out, desperately trying to scramble to her feet. The figures moved into the darkness, gone forever. "No!"_

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

"No!" Applejack jarred herself awake, immediately sitting upright. The sheets familiarly soaked in sweat. She had that dream again – she didn't have it every night, but it was often enough to keep reminding her. Looking around the room as if to verify that she was indeed in the real world now. _Ugh, _she groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her hoof – somewhat awkwardly.

"Ev'rythin' all right Applejack?" Came Big McIntosh's deep voice from the open doorway.

"Uh," She was caught by surprise, removing her hoof from her face to look at Big Mac. "Ya, Ah'm fine Big McIntosh. Just... uh... _small _bad dream." She smiled big... maybe a little too big. The larger stallion just blinked a couple times before proceeding downstairs, leaving his younger sister alone.

Applejack sighed. She didn't like lying to Big Mac, even if it was only a minor lie, honesty and all was golden after all. This time she didn't bother making her bed, letting the sheets dry a little while she went to brush her mane like every morning. Though no smile greeted her in the quaint vanity mirror, like it did every time she had that same dream.

_Must've been all that talk about the bad weather yesterday. _Applejack reasoned, trying to make herself feel better. She looked at herself in the mirror, her sad visage staring back. Closing her eyes a moment and taking a big breath, letting her thoughts clear so as to focus on the day ahead. When Applejack opened them again, she was welcomed by that warm country smile that she gave to everypony, already forgetting the previous night's events.

Trotting back over to her bed and making it in one smooth motion for the millionth time. Applejack reached over to the dresser, ready to don her trusty ol' stetson, not bothering to look as it was always in the same exact spot every single day where she had left it.

The farm mare's hoof touched wood instead of fabric.

She tried again, a little further down. Nope, still wood.

_Well ain't that somethin', _Applejack thought, a frown creasing on her face as she reached so far over that she lost her balance and landed on the floor with an _oomf._ Blinking, not once but twice, as she slowly scooped herself off the floor, staring blankly at the top of the empty table, not quite comprehending what was happening. Denial and imagination delayed Applejack from seeing that the ol' stetson hat was missing for the longest time as one minute ticked by, then two...

Finally after three, the realization began to wash over her; accompanied by a chill running down her spine. Applejack gasped aloud, her gaze unwavering over the blank tabletop.

"W'ere is it." She searched each individual drawer.

"W'ere is it!" She searched the whole of the closet.

"W'ERE IS IT!?" She searched under the bed and behind the rest of the furniture.

The cold sweat returned as Applejack began breathing very rapidly; hyperventilating. Knees growing weak from the shock. Her reaction mimicking that of Rarity whenever she thought she had lost an item of only minor importance. The only difference being Applejack didn't pull out a sofa from nowhere to fall on... just slumping into the cold wooden floor for the second time.

"Mah... mah..." The pony muttered, not able to come to terms with the facts that faced her. "Mah... mah hat is missin'..." The words came out like a book slapping her across the face. Applejack fought back the tears forming in her misty eyes, actually being successful this time; and just in time too, as she heard somepony coming up the stairs. From the light but relatively close hoof falls, she guessed it was Applebloom.

"Sis'!" The filly stated as she rounded the corner. "Yer gonna miss breakfast if ya don't hur – why are ya on the floor?" Applejack must have put on a good face to hide her panic, as her younger sister didn't seem to notice the turmoil – or the fact that she didn't have her hat on.

"Ah... ahem..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Ah'll be down lickity split Applebloom. Ah promise." She smiled widely again. The filly stared at her a moment longer before shrugging and headed back downstairs. As soon as the coast was clear, she wiped the insipid smile from her face.

For the next half hour Applejack checked and re-checked every corner of her bedroom. Closet, drawers, stripping the sheets off the bed. About the only thing she didn't do was tear apart the floor boards, walls and ceiling – which she briefly considered until common sense kicked in, telling her that it was impossible for the ol' stetson to be inside the walls.

"Oh dagnabit!" Applejack cursed, stamping one of her hoofs. "W'ere could that darned hat have flown off to!" The floor was barely recognizable. Clothes and other accessories were strewn about, as though a clothes eating monster had come in, eaten a hay of a lot more than his fill, and barfed it back up. The bed was flipped upside down, the wooden frame propped against the mattress propped against the wall. This time Applejack didn't notice as the same hoof steps approached again.

"Applejack yer breakfast is colder than a flea on a – whoa!" Applebloom stopped mid-scold, wide eyed at the mess she had just trotted into. "What in the hay have ya been doin' up here? Ah've heard of re-modelin' 'n' such, but _this_ is just crazy!" Applebloom stared at her, a combination of annoyance, irritation, and confusion on her face.

If Applejack had had half her wits about her, she would have told her little sister to watch her language, but her mind was far more occupied. In fact, she only heard a portion of what Applebloom was saying to her. Still she was looking in this corner and that, convinced that it had to be _somewhere_. Only when Applebloom coughed, excessively loud, did the panicked mare finally acknowledge her presence.

"Ah, Applebloom!" She said, shocked. "Uh, how long have ya been standin' there?"

"Long enough," Applebloom said plainly. "News flash: Yer breakfast is _cold_."

As soon as the filly said that, Applejack's stomach grumbled loudly.

"Right," She said, rubbing her head with a hoof, "right. Ah'll be down in a minute."

But Applebloom was having none of that. Trotting up behind Applejack, she began pushing the older mare out the door. "Ah don't think so! Ya'll need yer food!" Applejack protested until they reached the stairs, only getting through to Applebloom when she was nearly shoved down the flight of steps.

Breakfast was far from normal this particular morning. Applejack was constantly in motion, getting up after every couple of bites to search various places in the kitchen. When her plate was about half way empty, she expanded her search into the rest of the farmhouse. Applebloom sat quietly with that annoyed look on her face while Granny Smith and Big McIntosh just watched the blond mare zip this way and that, apparently too confused to ask, just deciding to leave her be.

"Ah'll right!" Applebloom slammed her hooves on the tabletop. "Ah've had enough. Ah'm goin' ta school early." She hitched her saddle bag and left without another word – not that Applejack noticed as she checked the pantry for the fifth time.

Big Mac finished his last few bites of carrot-sauce and apple cakes, "Ee'yup. Ah'd best be gettin' ta work too." He headed for the front door, pausing to let the frantic Applejack cross, and left. Granny Smith had fallen asleep in her chair, like she normally did after eating.

Several minutes later Applejack slumped in the hallway, her mane frazzled and exhausted. She had searched every corner in the house – even the rest of the family's bedrooms; although she was more considerate with them than her own, being careful to straighten up.

"Oh," She groaned. "W'ere could it have gone?" Applejack said, choking up slightly. She retreated back to her own room, disheartened when she got there. Not because the room was an absolute pig sty, but because the hat was not sitting in the last place she looked. The curtains wafted as a breeze caressed her cheek.

_Wait,_Applejack froze. _A breeze?_ She rushed over to the open window, immediately she believed that maybe, just maybe, the wind had blown her hat out the window! Applejack dashed downstairs, through the hall and out the door, not bothering to close it since Big McIntosh would be on the farm all day. There was still hope of finding her beloved stetson, all she had to do was keep looking, and maybe asking for help couldn't hurt either.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

_It was only the second day of her first applebucking season, and _still_ Applejack just couldn't get it right. She examined the brawny tree trunk from all possible angles, tried hitting in different spots, even attempting a head butt; although that last one only earned her a splitting headache and a lump under her blond mane. Sure, a few apples fell, but scores more held fast to the branches. It didn't seem to matter whether the tree was hit with one big kick or several smaller ones, as the result was still the same._

_The little orange filly breathed heavily before collapsing on the green grass beneath her, exhausted and disheartened by the lack of success. "Oh, ah'll never get it at this rate!" Applejack despaired, covering her shame with her arms._

_Lying down on the ground, she stared intently at each individual blade of grass, unable to come to terms with her failure. Pa was counting on her to harvest these apples, and she was making no headway whatsoever. She sighed again, failing to notice the heavy hoof steps until the shadow was cast over her. Applejack looked up, squinting as the late morning sun only partially eclipsed by the newcomer._

_Compared to the filly, the stallion before her was large and muscular, broad shoulders and strong farmer's legs encased in dirty, worn coveralls, standing proud and tall. His head and mane distorted by both the sun in the background, and the outline of a wide rimmed hat. Even though his eyes weren't clearly visible, Applejack knew their gaze. A deep green that matched her own eyes; full of a determination to fulfill the day's deeds. Behind him was a cartload of apples, recently harvested from somewhere else in the fields. Applejack looked away after a moment, embarrassed that the nearby buckets, the ones she meant to fill, were almost completely empty._

_"Work ain't gonna git done if ya sit on the ground all day Applejack," His voice was deep and rich, almost gruff even. Although it contained more than its fair share of fatherly tenderness. "Come now, surely that ain't your best shot?"_

_If she hadn't have been trying for hours on end since the sun rose, Applejack would have jumped to her feet, proclaiming defiantly that he hasn't seen her best shot. But failure after failure had taken more of a toll on her energy than her confidence; simply believing she didn't have what it took to buck apples like her pa could. "Ah can't do it..." She finally replied._

_"Aw now that's just stinkin' thinkin'," The stallion answered back, unconvinced. "Ya can do anything ya set your mind to." Applejack felt a hoof on her chin, and allowed it to gently lift her head up. She opened her eyes, and was greeted by a warm smile, a long piece of straw sticking out from the mouth._

_The honeyed words made her feel better... a little, even so though, the tree was so much bigger than the filly was. "But, Pa Ah..."_

_The stallion shushed her, "No buts young lady. Give it one more try... for your ol' man."_

_Blinking a couple times, Applejack smiled and nodded. She turned to the tree she had been bucking for over an hour and was about to start once more when she was interrupted again by her father._

_"Not that one," He pointed a few yards farther down the path, at a _much _larger tree. "_That_ one." Her heart sank. The tree stood a good six feet taller than the previous, and its trunk seemed impossibly thick. How in the hay did he expect her to buck a single apple from that monster?_

_Applejack gulped, slowly making her way towards the tree as if she were walking to an execution block, apprehension rising in her chest, breathing became nearly impossible. She could hear the stallion marching behind her, the subtle squeaking as the cart strained against its load. Eventually the pair stood next to the tree in question, the stallion unhinged himself from the cart with ease and set up some nearby baskets that had been set aside. When the task was finished, he stood next to the trunk, waiting expectantly._

_The tree loomed over her. If she didn't know better, Applejack would have sworn the over grown bush was taunting her. Even though this briefly flared her temper, the chilling fear of failing again, and in front of her pa, quickly sucked away the fire from her anger. Turning around facing the dirt road that divided the grove, the farm filly took her stance. Lowering her front while keeping her hind legs straight, shifting balance forward. Closing her eyes tight, concentrating on the task at hand, trying her best to dismiss the esteemed audience watching her. With all her strength, she lashed out..._

Thwump!

_It was much louder than it seemed as Applejack's rear hooves made firm contact with the tree's hard trunk. Although, her front hooves slid out from under her, thanks to the morning dew that was still present on the grass, making it slick._

_"Whoa!" Applejack yelled out, trying to scramble her legs back under her; but it was too late as her small body plopped firmly on the ground. She braced as a chorus of thumps rained down all around, not daring to open her eyes until it finally stopped. When she finally did, she glanced at the buckets placed around the base of the tree. Every, single, one, was full to the brim with shiny red apples._

_The filly gasped in shock and awe. "Ah did it!" She exclaimed with glee, jumping to her feet, repeating it twice more._

_"Ya certainly did," The stallion, silent until now, said with a hint of I-told-you-so. Applejack had been dancing a little celebration when something soft was forced on top of her head, the day light dimming significantly. Pausing, she looked up, half her view occupied by the brown stitch work of an old stetson hat._

_She gasped again, happy as can be._

_"You are a true apple bucker now, Applejack," The hatless stallion now said, his messy brown mane now visible in the sun. His daughter smiled wide. The hat, too big for her small head, fell over her eyes. The two shared a laugh as they headed back towards the farmhouse._

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

The hustle and bustle of the marketplace street seemed lesser on this day than on previous ones. Perhaps the pegasi, busy in the upper atmosphere arranging clouds, had something to do with it. Heart Phyre had heard about the missed storm and wondered why it was so easy for them to skip one; as rigidly scheduled as they were. The deep orange pegasus tried to recall if it had ever occurred back in her home city of Buckson, and came up with nothing.

Trotting down the street, looking this way and that, Heart held little attention on the cloudy sky above her. Up ahead was a tree brimming with posters on it, redirecting her body towards it, smiling. When she reached the blossoming tree, she used her wings to remove the necessary tools from her saddle bag. A hammer, a nail, and a curled up piece of parchment. Standing on her hind legs to gain a bit of height, the pony held the top edge of the poster while she fiddled with the nail; eventually holding it in place with the tip of her wing.

Holding the nail, Heart bent her arm back to strike it with the hammer.

"Heart!" Startling the pegasus right as she swung, missing the nail completely. She yelped out in pain as the head of the hammer struck her wing. Surprised, Heart Phyre fell backward onto the dirt ground, holding the injured appendage. Grimacing, she looked up to see a familiar orange mare with a blond mane.

"Oh, Ah'm so sorry there sugar cube!" She immediately apologized.

Heart groaned. "It's okay Applejack, I..." Getting no further as the farm pony jerked Heart to her feet, wincing visibly as her wing throbbed.

"Ah don't have time to explain," Applejack's voice sounded stressed, like something horrible was happening. "just follow me to Twilight's library. Pronto!" She galloped off, leaving the pegasus with more than just her wing to worry about.

_What was that about?_ Heart blinked as she dusted herself off. She winced again when attempting to fold her left wing, letting it dangle while she made her way to the library. After a few steps, the pain steadily growing, Heart started sucking on the wing, trying to assuage the painful throbbing.

In short order Heart had made it to Twilight's library tree house. It was exactly as it sounded. A massive tree that had been magically, or manually, hallowed out. Sporting many balconies and different shaped windows throughout the green canopy. Inside the largest window, the one closest to ground level, many bookshelves carved directly into the wall could be seen; bursting with many thick books and other things that were right at home on a bookshelf. Heart squinted at the window, seeing what she could. Inside there was a small creature, furiously working at a four-legged table. The purple and green creature grabbed a piece of parchment from a large stack, wrote on it frantically for a couple minutes, and finally slammed it on another, smaller stack before repeating the whole process over and over again.

Still several yards away, Heart Phyre could see a small crowd gathering at the library's entranceway. Recognizing the ones on the ground as Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight; with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy hovering several feet above them. There was no sign of Applejack. The five were chatting amongst themselves as Heart strolled up. The purple unicorn, in deep conversation with her white counterpart, stopped when she noticed the orange pegasus approaching.

"Ah!" She said with a smile. "Good! Shes here. Um, why are you sucking your wing?" Twilight blinked as she watched. The area struck by the hammer had turned an angry red, and was starting to bruise.

Heart Phyre removed her wing from her mouth, slightly embarrassed. "Uh, long story. What's Applejack so worked up about?" She glanced around at the group, still not seeing the mare in question. "Matter of fact, where is she?"

Twilight nodded her head in the direction of the library. Taking another look, Heart could see the frantic mare moving this way and that, her lips in constant motion. Likely giving orders to the green and purple creature, who still scribed ceaselessly at the table.

"Uh huh," Heart said, the confusion still evident on her face, since the scene before her didn't answer any questions.

"Applejack barged in in a panic, saying she desperately needed Spike to make some posters." Spike, that must have been the creature's name. "Then she told me to assemble the rest of our friends here at the library, just telling me that it was very, very important that I do so, and fast." Twilight laid down the facts. The story matched up with Heart's own encounter with the orange mare only minutes ago.

At that moment, the double doors to the library swung open, and Applejack stood there staring at everypony. She was a _mess_, and that's putting it in the mild and over-imaginative way Rarity would describe. Heart smirked as she heard Rarity gasp next to her. But seriously, Applejack was an absolute wreck. Her mane was severely frazzled, looking like it hadn't been brushed for a week, and the tail looked no better; both of them lacking the small red ribbons that she used to tie her hair in.

"Good! Yer all here!" The mare announced.

"What's going on AJ?" The first to speak up was Rainbow Dash, who had zipped down closer to Applejack. "I was in the middle of practicing a new stunt for the Wonderbolts." Emphasizing her annoyance by swinging her hooves.

"Is um... everything okay Applejack?" The timid voice of Fluttershy asked quietly, but the concern was still evident in her voice.

"Is it a surprise? Oh, I love surprises!" Pinkie ran on, hopping repeatedly. "Except for that surprise where you had left Ponyville and said you weren't coming back. That surprise wasn't so nice! It's not a surprise like that is it? Oh! If it has an epic and fun cart chase again, I wouldn't mind that so much!" The pink earth pony smiled big, oblivious of the angry look Rarity was shooting at her.

"No, not quite like that Pinkie," Applejack waited several seconds after Pinkie finished babbling. "Uh, Ah..." She gulped, apparently whatever happened must have been serious. "Ah lost mah hat."

Everypony went silent. Only now did Heart bother to glance atop the mare's head, finally noticing that she was indeed, hatless. Nearby, she heard Rarity gasp once more, Rainbow and Heart herself rolling their eyes in response. Although, it became apparent that the cyan pegasus's reaction was from something other than Rarity's tendency to overreact.

"You mean to tell me that you interrupted my practice because you lot your hat?" Rainbow questioned.

"Don't be so inconsiderate Rainbow Dash!" Rarity cut her down. "Losing one's repertoire is nothing short of the worst... possible... thing!" The unicorn emphasized her claim with a stomp of her hoof.

"Oh, that's just terrible," Fluttershy chimed in, covering her mouth with her hooves.

Heart listened as Rarity and Rainbow continued their argument.

"I'm not trying to be inconsiderate! It just seems like nothing to get so worked up about." Rarity flinched at Dash's statement. "The way it sounded, I thought somepony was hurt or Ponyville was under attack! Besides, I mean, can't she just buy a new hat? What's the big deal?"

Rarity was about to make a comeback when Applejack spoke up, stopping the unicorn in her tracks. "It's more than just a _hat_ Rainbow Dash!" She all but spat the words, the pegasus visibly recoiled at that. "It's a piece of who Ah am, it means more than y'all could possibly know, _ever_!" Applejack looked very upset, the redness in her face evidence of barely controlled rage. Subconsciously, Heart rubbed the bracelets on her arm, thinking she would likely act the same as Applejack was if she ever lost them; they were precious to her, irreplaceable even. Not because they were fairly expensive, they cost a fair bit to purchase, but their sentimental value made that difference. To any other pony, they were just another ordinary pair, but to her they were much more.

"Ah can't tell y'all why, but it just is," Applejack continued. "So if'n y'all aren't gonna help me, then ah'll look for it mahself." Applejack began to trot off when Twilight stopped her.

"We know this is important to you AJ," Twilight put her hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "We will help you search for your hat." Rainbow Dash landed next to her.

"Yes," She said, an apologetic smile on her face. "I will too. I didn't mean to upset you."

Heart Phyre moved with the rest of the ponies, closing in on the farm mare, offering their support. The orange pony's expression softened, feeling the support from all her friends. She sighed deeply as she spoke again, "Thank ya all kindly."

"Okay then," Twilight announced. "If we're going to find Applejack's hat, this search needs to be organized!" Heart couldn't see twilight from behind the rest of the ponies, but she somehow rose up a few feet, looking down at everypony. "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, you two will patrol the air, check every rooftop. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack will look around town, look in every conceivable corner. Heart Phyre and I will put up lost and found posters, which Spike has been working feverishly on, all around Ponyville. If we can't find it, maybe somepony else has."

Everypony cheered and immediately set off to their task at hoof; revealing that Twilight had been standing on a soap box. Before Heart Phyre could talk to Twilight, Applejack rode up and gave thanks before galloping off to join the others.

The deep orange mare followed the purple unicorn into the library. Defying common sense, the inside of the tree house seemed much larger than the outside indicated. The inside was _very_ well organized, every book was perfectly straight on its shelf, the portraits on the walls were eerily centered, and even the papers, quills and ink were orderly. Heart felt her eye twitch at the level of detail and cleanliness.

"Spike works hard to keep the place tidy," Twilight said, the look of amazement must have been evident on the pegasus's face. "He is, after all, my number one assistant." She finished with a bright smile. At that point the purple and green creature named Spike, who Heart realized was a baby dragon, looked up from his intense work. Briefly pausing to greet them.

"Twilight!" Spike said, trying to catch his breath. "Please tell me this is enough?" He gestured with a claw at an enormous pile of finished posters, standing more than twice his diminutive height on the table. "Applejack is convinced this wouldn't cover it, but... " He shrugged, unable to find the words.

Twilight laughed, "This is fine Spike." As she levitated a generous portion of the posters into Heart's saddle bag, then retrieved one for herself. "These should be more than enough to get the word out."

_Should be?_ Heart's jaw dropped. _That's enough posters to decorate the whole city of Canterlot! And he did all this in just a few hours!?_ The thought boggled her.

"Good..." Spike let himself droop in the chair, the exhaustion undoubtedly settling in, repeatedly making fists with his writing claw; trying to soothe some aching fire.

"You go rest now," Twilight commanded. "we'll handle the rest." Turning towards the door. Heart followed, briefly waving goodbye to the distracted dragon.

The search went on at a fairly fast pace. Twilight and Heart had put up dozens of fliers around the residential area of the city and were making their way towards the marketplace. Occasionally they would hear Rainbow or Fluttershy soar overhead, their heads swiveling back and forth, scanning the ground below them. Every now and then, Pinkie or Rarity would come into sight, asking nearby ponies if they had seen the lost hat. The crazy-maned earth pony was wearing an odd looking cap, and had a bubble-blowing, ornate pipe in her mouth. When Heart gave a questioning look at Twilight, she rolled her eyes and shook her head, saying without words: _don't ask._ Shrugging, she continued on with the unicorn, stopping every few minutes to hang up a new poster.

In short time, they had put up more than half of the parchment sheets they had brought with them, the marketplace being the last area they needed to cover. The two decided they could finish faster if they split up, so that's what they did. Heart went one direction, and Twilight the other. Scanning the area, Heart found several promising spots, only to be disappointed when they were already covered by other signs. Advertisements of many kinds, from shop ads to help wanted forms, along with, unsurprisingly, other lost item posters. She had been here before; made apparent that one of her own signs were here, announcing the grand opening of her long-awaited hobbyist shop.

Disheartened, Heart had made her way to the tree where Applejack had frantically recruited her for the search. Scanning the tree, any good spot that somepony would see the poster was already occupied by another sign. There wasn't so much as an inch of available space. Holding the poster in one hoof, she stared back and forth, switching from the picture of the lost hat and the ad that would bring business to the grand opening.

After standing there for several minutes, Heart made her decision.

Carefully she placed the lost poster in front of the shop advertisement, tentatively nailing the poster into the tree trunk. Every strike of the hammer on the nail made her aching wing twitch, the recent injury still present.

When she took a step back to make sure the picture was straight, Heart nearly bumped into a smiling Twilight. "Oh, sorry Twilight. I didn't see you there." She apologized, even though she hadn't actually bumped into the unicorn.

"That was nice of you," Twilight said, still smiling.

"Huh?" Heart blinked, unsure what her friend meant.

"The poster," She gestured to the tree. "you put it over the advertisement for your shop's grand opening. Correct?" Asking a rhetorical question.

"Well," Heart explained. "I just figured this was more important..." Again she rubbed the two bracelets on her arm. Heart could tell from the way Applejack was talking and acting that the hat was indeed more important than just the opening of her shop. That could wait, but the longer the search for the lost hat took, the less likely they were to find it.

"Still," Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. "That was very nice of you."

"You know Twilight," The question had been bothering Heart for a little bit. "It seems like this is bigger than just looking for a hat that she's had for a long time. I can't explain it, but I just know this goes deeper..." She paused, taking off the bracelets she wore almost constantly. "Much deeper..."

"I know what you mean," Twilight said. "If it wasn't, then why would Rainbow Dash's suggestion at buying a new hat make Applejack so upset?" It was a valid question. If the hat was indeed just that, a hat, then there would be no reason to call up a huge search across the whole town. Such a hat would cost, at most, several bits to purchase a brand new one; which Applejack could easily afford.

"I also think it must be more than a simple gift too," Twilight continued. "I think we should go to Sweet Apple Acres and see what we can find." The unicorn stepped in front of the pegasus, emphasizing her point.

"Um," Heart wasn't as convinced. "I'm not sure about this Twilight. How is that going to help us find Applejack's hat?"

"Because," Twilight explained. "It would give us a better idea of why it's so important; and also, what if we _can't_ find Applejack's hat? What if it is gone forever? Knowing why it's so important will help us comfort her."

Heart smiled, "Yeah, that would be useful huh."

Twilight nodded, looking around the marketplace. "I think we have enough posters up for now; and I'm not saying that to be lazy." She laughed kind of nervously. Heart looked throughout the marketplace – there were posters _everywhere._

"Hehe, right." Smiling sheepishly. "Lets head off then." The two galloped off to the farmstead.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

It was mid afternoon as Twilight and Heart Phyre reached Sweet Apple acres; even though it was hard to tell with the blanket of cloud cover slowly being formed by the teams of pegasi in the sky. Ponyville was almost completely covered while there were still patches of blue left over the apple orchards. Heart looked up at the sky, worried.

"Something wrong?" Twilight turned to ask her, breaking the thought.

"Oh, no Twilight." Heart replied, still galloping down the dirt path between the rows of trees.

The unicorn didn't seem convinced that everything was okay, but let the subject drop for now. Heart breathed a sigh of relief; she was concerned about this storm, worrying about whether or not they should even be out here with the torrent about to hit in just a matter of hours. Undoubtedly they would continue the search until the old hat was finally found, but even still...

Shaking her head, Heart banished the thought from her mind. They were going to find that hat, come fire or high water. Applejack depended on her and the others to do it, and that's just what they were going to do. Invigorated by the thought, Heart picked up the pace, catching up with Twilight as she had been falling behind slightly. Before they knew it, the apple fields had given way to the farm proper. Numerous buildings popped up as the pair crested the last hilltop. Dominating the center was a huge red barn, a chicken coup off to the left, and various pens holding sheep and cattle. A short distance behind the barn was the house itself.

The farm was ominously silent as they ran up to the boundaries. The pens were empty, likely that the animals had been put into the barn for shelter some time ago. Farm equipment that would have been scattered about was also stored away in preparation.

"Hmm, I don't see Big McIntosh anywhere..." Twilight stated, looking around the deserted area.

"McIntosh?" Heart asked, who hadn't been introduced to the Apple Family beyond Applejack, and has only heard about Applebloom.

"Applejack's older brother," Twilight said plainly, still looking for the stallion in question. "They live with their grandmother, Granny Smith, too. But I don't see her either."

Heart split off from Twilight to look elsewhere, but also to look at the farm itself. She had never been on a real farm ever, being from a big city like Buckson and all. The volume of space was what appealed to her the most, having the opportunity to just run, wherever you wanted to, and not worry about bumping into somepony or something around every corner. Buckson had crowded streets pretty much at all times of day and night; hay, even Ponyville was at times crowded, during high times when everypony was shopping or just off from work on weekends. For a moment, she felt envious of the farm mare.

Heart paused and snapped her neck around as she heard a distant voice call out to her. Twilight, now standing next to a large, muscular stallion was waving frantically to get her attention. _Oh good, she found him_. She was some distance away, even running at top speed it would take a minute to cross the open expanse of field. Slowly but surely the workhorse came into focus. He was tall, a good several inches taller than Heart or Twilight. His tail was short, and was the same brown-orange color as his mane, going nicely with his crimson coat. The expression gave off was that of a pony that was content with his life, his eyes having a dreamy droop to them. He must have been much stronger than he appeared, dragging not one, but _two _carts of apples; plus a pair of baskets slung over his back.

Heart unconsciously slowed her pace as she stared at the stallion, jaw dropping, feeling butterflies in her stomach. Then as the blush began to form on her face, she slowed down even more, desperate to buy time to hide it. The effort only proved to develop a nervous sweat instead. Deciding quickly that she would just blame the heat of the day – even though it was rapidly cooling due to the cloud cover. Things became more complicated as she felt her wings stiffen with the thought of the handsome stallion, concentrating hard to fold them back at her sides. If the others, especially the stallion, weren't watching her, she would have facehooved at the thought.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow as the pegasus finally came within a few feet of the pair, and began to look slightly impatient. Heart conjured up a fake innocent smile, and turned her gaze again at Big McIntosh.

"Big McIntosh," Twilight began the introductions. "This is Heart Phyre, she just moved into Ponyville recently." Heart kind of tuned out the latter part of the unicorn's introduction, just staring at him.

Twilight must have said something about Big McIntosh working the farm all day, as he replied, "Ee'yup." Heart felt her wings twitch a bit, hearing McIntosh's deep voice for the first time.

"Hello," Heart barely managed.

Big McIntosh smiled at her, "Howdy. What brings y'all to Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Well," Twilight began. "We were hoping you could..."

"We wanted to know more about Applejack's hat, Big Mac." Heart interrupted Twilight, taking one step towards the stallion; also immediately reverting to using the nickname.

At that moment the warm smile turned into a frown, and McIntosh looked up at the sky, a look of longing permeated his face, sighing as he closed his eyes. The pegasus's heart jumped, not enjoying the thought that she had upset him.

"Exactly," Twilight said cautiously.

"Well," Big McIntosh glanced between the two. "It's pretty personal there girls. I'm not comfortable talkin' about it. I need to get back to work." The stallion began dragging the heavy carts passed the two mares, moving surprisingly quick given the load he bore.

Twilight and Heart stared at each other, not quite sure what had happened. Right now the pegasus felt like she had needles in her heart, the mere thought of upsetting the handsome stallion hurt more than she expected.

"That didn't go too well." Twilight said, moving closer to Heart.

"He looks so sad..." Heart muttered under her breath, continuing to gaze at Big McIntosh as he left them behind. She wanted to gallop up and comfort him, but she kept in mind the reason for their being at the farm. They needed to help Applejack, and that's what they were going to do.

"Maybe we can find some clues in the farmhouse." Twilight suggested.

Heart broke off from her previous thoughts, and turned to follow the lavender unicorn.

On the front porch sat a much older mare, the color long gone from her mane and tail. She was slumped over in her chair, apparently deep in sleep with a cane resting on the wooden patio. The two younger mares approached quietly, not yet sure if they wanted to wake up the old mare, whom Heart assumed was Granny Smith.

"I assume that's...?" Heart asked.

"Granny Smith? Yes," Twilight answered. "We shouldn't wake her. Let's go up into Applejack's room and look for clues..." Just then the old mare stirred, jumping into consciousness.

"Who the what now!?" She said in a half panic, before recognizing Twilight. "Well howdy darlin'." Granny Smith stared at the startled Twilight Sparkle, who was frozen stiff from the sudden shock.

Twilight laughed nervously, finally recovering. "Hello Granny Smith, how are you?"

"Ah'm just dandy youngin'." She attempted to jump to her hoofs, only managing to slowly crawl out of the chair. Granny Smith had been trying to reach for her cane, the walking stick just out of reach. Heart trotted up and picked the cane up for her, graciously offering it to the old mare.

"Thank ya kindly deary," Granny stared at Heart, trying to focus on the new mare, invading her personal space. "Rarity? You dyed your mane again?"

Heart blinked, and looked over at Twilight, who was attempting to stifle a laugh. "No, no. My name is Heart Phyre. I'm new here."

"Ohhh!" Granny backed away a little bit. "Well why di'n't'cha say so Fluttershy!"

Twilight snickered at that, Heart only smiled and rolled her eyes.

Granny moved on into the house, muttering something about the weather and inviting the whipper snappers to come in and get comfortable. The two moved right on in, accepting the invitation. The living room was simply decorated. Wooden couch, wooden chairs, a large wooden coffee table in the middle. Stone fireplace off in the corner, the entranceway to the kitchen and the stairs leading up next to them. Twilight and Heart Phyre took a seat on the couch while Granny climbed up on a wooden rocking chair, sighing in relief.

"Now," She began. "How can I help you youngins' today?"

"Well," Twilight glanced at Heart, seemingly expecting her to interrupt again. When it became clear that she wouldn't, the unicorn continued. "We were hoping you could tell us a little more about Applejack."

They almost regretted asking that question, as Granny Smith started telling the story... from the very beginning. She started from Applejack's birth, and agonizingly, slowly, describing every single even in what must have been perfect order, it was almost spooky that the old mare could recall so much when she could easily mistake Heart Phyre for Rarity, and then mistake her as Fluttershy. The pegasus could feel her own eyelids drooping down as Granny droned on about Applejack this and Applejack that, trying her best to stay awake just to be polite. Twilight on the other hoof, seemed to fairing well. In fact, she seemed very interested in Granny's tale. Not that Heart Phyre wasn't interested, it was just more than she bargained for.

Finally though, it seemed Twilight had had enough, interrupting with a question. "And what about Applejack's parents? Come to think of it, I haven't seen them once since I moved here from Canterlot.

At that point the old mare stopped talking, staring at Twilight for a moment.

"Oh," She simply said.

Heart had a suspicion that this would go the same way as the conversation with Big McIntosh. She shared a nervous glance with Twilight, unsure whether to apologize or to simply drop the question or change the subject.

"Sorry if we're being intrusive ma'am." Heart Phyre apologized, gesturing with a hoof.

"No," Granny said quickly. "No, it's okay Rainbow Dash, it's just..." Her old lips quivered, trying to find the words. "It's just a sore subject amongst my youngsters, and Ah'd be a fibbin' if'n Ah said it wasn't sore for me too." Now she turned her gaze to the empty fireplace.

"But y'all must have a reason for askin'," She turned back to the two mares.

"Yes, we do Granny Smith." Twilight confirmed, Heart nodding in agreement.

"Ah'll right then..." Granny took a deep breath and began a new tale.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

_A real gully-washer of a storm beat against the cold glass, resonating throughout the room, constantly reminding everypony it was still raining furiously outside. Long ago the sun had gone down, and a pitch blackness had replaced the gray that shown through the clouds only hours before._

_Granny Smith grumbled under her breath, "Dern pegasi. Today was supposed to be sunnier than the smile on a filly in a candy store, but noooo; they had to miss yet another storm." As she continued weaving thread in and out, knitting together a pair of foal's booties._

_Her anger and annoyance cooled as she thought about the little red-headed newborn foal she was making them for. The newest grand daughter: Applebloom. Deciding to take a break and rest her hooves, Granny stole a peak at the newborn. Applejack, her older grand daughter, was holding her sister, feeding her with a bottle of cow's milk. Occasionally, the over sized stetson hat would clamp down over her eyes, but like always, the orange filly just shoved it back on top of her head. She had worn it every day since the last applebucking season._

They'll be good to one another,_ the aging mare beamed at the thought, watching them bond._

_Applebloom pushed the bottle away from her mouth, she laughed and began shaking her short, stubby legs._

_"Looks like somepony wants to play," Applejack said, setting the bottle aside for later._

_"Not too rough now ya' hear?" Granny Smith reminded the rough-housing filly. Numerous times Applejack had gotten in trouble for playing a bit too rough with the other fillies in school. "Applebloom's still just a foal."_

_Applejack rolled her eyes, but kept the smile on her face. "Yes Granny Smith..." She went in search for their favorite red ball, and returned moments later, bouncing it gently between them; laughing and in general having a good time. Stopping only to readjust the stetson._

_"Come on dear," A melodious voice started from the kitchen, a full grown mare emerged. "We're gonna be late if'n we stall any longer." She wore her dark pink mane in a hair braid, her face covered in freckles that matched the young Applejack's._

_"I'm coming," A tall and proud stallion entered the room just moments later. "I'm coming, just had to grab a last few things." He said in his gruff, deep voice._

_"Sonny boy!" Granny exasperated. "Ya can't seriously be considerin' goin' out in this kind of weather!" She gestured toward the darkened window, the only evidence of anything beyond it was the water falling down in rivulets._

_Applejack and Applebloom had stopped their playing and stared back and forth as the adult ponies argued._

_The masculine stallion sighed deeply. "I know ma, but if we don't get a move on now, our spot at the apple convention will be taken." He explained, even though he knew she was right. "Also, it would be a huge boost to the family business."_

_During that conversation, the female mare had scooped up Applebloom and sat on the nearby couch, slowly rocking the foal back and forth, easing her to sleep. The older filly also joined her mother, nestling her head on her lap, the sheer size of the stetson now obscured all but the happy smile._

_Granny Smith had that aching in her bones. She knew that this wasn't a good idea, but her son could be a real stubborn mule sometimes. He and his wife would go even if she forbid him from going. But their interests seemed in the right place. They wanted to earn money so their children could live a happy life. After all, isn't that what all parents wanted for their children?_

_The eldest mare sighed, closing her eyes, concentrating. "All right sonny boy." She opened her wrinkly eyes, gazing sternly at her boy. "You come back safe 'n' sound ya hear?" She said, gesturing a hoof at him. "And you too missy!" Switching that gesture to the mother on the couch, Applebloom had fallen asleep, the little foal's cream colored chest rising and falling slowly._

_The mother smiled, nodding instead of speaking, not wishing to disturb her daughter's restful sleep. For some reason, Granny Smith couldn't return that smile. She wanted to, but just couldn't. The mother gently got up, laying Applejack's head gently on the couch. She moved across the room and placed the sleeping foal in her crib by the fireplace, landing a gentle kiss on her cheek. The motion hadn't worked as Applejack yawned and sat back up, looking around and finally finding her mother, jumping off the couch to follow._

_"So y'all are leaving?" Applejack said, the warm smile turning upside down, her big green eyes staring up at her mother._

_"Yes hon," The mother bent down to nuzzle her nose with Applejack's. "But only for a little while, I promise."_

_The two headed for the door, the howling wind rushed by the entrance, and speckles of water began dotting the wood. Granny Smith moved up from her chair to shield the sleeping Applebloom, still gazing sadly at her son and daughter-in-law._

_The stallion proceeded first, shackling himself to the waiting wagon just outside the house. His wife was just about to go when she paused and looked down at her rear leg. Applejack had galloped up and was hugging tightly to her, begging with her eyes for her mother not to leave her._

_After a moment, the filly let go and the mother turned to face her._

_"May I?" She gestured towards the old stetson on Applejack's head._

_The filly nodded, and gave the hat to her. The cream colored mare proceeded upstairs and did not return for several minutes. When she did, she handed the hat back to Applejack. At first, the filly was confused, looking back and forth between the smiling mare and the hat, which seemed completely unchanged._

_When this became evident, she ran her hoof over the top rim of the hat and read, "Be strong, Love Mom and Dad." Reading off the words just now stitched on the old stetson, but the mother wasn't done yet. "Take good care of Applebloom and Big McIntosh. Keep Sweet Apple Acres safe, help Granny Smith when she needs it. We'll be back soon."_

_And with that, she turned towards the door, proceeding into the howling darkness._

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

Applebloom stared off at the setting sun, only partially visible through the growing cloud layer as it cast a collage of beautiful colors across the evening sky. The tree selected for the old tree house was perfect for watching the sun since it was one of the largest trees on Sweet Apple Acres. The cream colored filly had renovated the tree house herself, turning from a death trap into a genuine work of art, sturdy and safe.

She sighed, once again thinking about her blank flank. Applebloom and her best friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, had formed a club they called the _Cutie Mark Crusaders_, with the goal of working together to get their cutie marks. Recently they made friends with another filly, Halo Phyre, who also lacked her own cutie mark. That was their purpose today, gathered in the club house on the apple orchard owned by her family, to brainstorm new ideas for getting their marks and finding their special talent.

"Ugh!" Applebloom heard a groan of frustration behind her, not for the first time that day. "I can't think of _anything_!" As she turned around to join the other three fillies, it became apparent that Scootaloo was the one talking.

"No surprise there," Sweetie Belle interjected.

Applebloom glanced at their newest member, the orange colored pegasus with a yellow bow in her brick orange mane, which had been sitting quietly, looking more than a bit bored. The farm filly decided to include her in the conversation.

"Do ya have any ideas Halo?" Turning to face the bored filly.

Halo had snapped out of her stupor, stammering, "Uh...not really." She sulked.

All four of them sighed. Scootaloo got up and walked towards the window sill, taking her own peak outside. Applebloom looked at the mess of papers and pencils in front of them. The sheets were a colored on mess of ideas and diagrams, some of them they had already tried and were scribbled over furiously. For a moment, she reflected on just how many stunts they had attempted, wondering if maybe they shouldn't try anything else for the day.

"I got it girls!" Scootaloo suddenly shouted from the window, briefly making everypony jump.

"What is it Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously.

"We're going to get our cutie marks in..." Scoots paused for dramatic effect, gesturing outside the window. "White water rafting!" She exclaimed, by then everypony had crowded around the same window. Some distance away was the Ponyville river, its blue waters visible from the vantage point the club house offered.

"Hmm," Applebloom rubbed her chin. "That sounds like a great idea!" Smiling brightly as she stared back at her companions.

Halo Phyre and Sweetie Belle exchanged worried glances.

"I dunno girls..." The creamy white unicorn shyly said, staring down, gently scraping a hoof on the floor.

"I kind of agree with Sweetie Belle..." Halo supported her. "I mean, look at the weather outside? It's not exactly the best for outside stuff."

"Pfft," Scootaloo stuck her tongue out. "Don't be such a scaredy-pony. The weather will make it even more fun! Besides, there's no tree sap involved!" That got a laugh from everypony, except Halo who didn't get the joke; just blinking a couple times.

"Long story," Applebloom said to her, and Halo shrugged.

"Come on you guys," Scootaloo said, trying to gain the other's support. "You want your cutie marks right?"

"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle and Halo Phyre said after a moment.

"Ah've been down the Ponyville river before, and it was always a blast!" Applebloom said enthusiastically.

That seemed to warm them up, the other fillies bearing smiles now. Scootaloo and Applebloom held out their hoofs in the center of the group. Sweetie Belle joined in, followed shortly by Halo, and they chanted together.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders!" They said aloud. "River Rafters!"

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

It was difficult to tell how late in the day it actually was as Applejack, not for the first time, looked up and flinched at the gray sky. Cloud cover now encompassed everything as teams of pegasi flew this way and that in final preparations for the coming storm. Almost an artificial night shrouding the entire town.

_Ponyville ain't the only one in the dumps, _Applejack thought, rubbing her hatless head with a hoof. Including herself, Pinkie Pie and Rarity have been searching the entire town ground side, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy scoured the rooftops and sky. Trading hour after hour, the search had yielded no results.

The farm mare sighed deeply, closing her eyes and dipped her head. "It's as good as gone forever..." Her heart felt heavy, like it would plummet from her chest at any moment.

"We will find your hat AJ," Came a lyrical voice from next to her, Rarity trotting up from behind.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie now hopped up, she still wore the detective cap and the bubble-blowing pipe protruding from her mouth. "It's like a scavenger hunt, and that's best done as a team! So we can't just give up." That smile still ever present.

Applejack wanted to believe that they could find it, desperately she wanted to hold on to that hope. But the fact remained, they've combed the entire town, asked dozens, if not hundreds of ponies, and nopony has so much as seen or heard anything. That, and every minute that turns into an hour meant that their chances were only that much more remote. She takes another look at the sky, trying to make a guess at what time it was.

"The day's 'bout to end girls," Applejack says solemnly. "Ah really need ta get back to the farm." It was a weak excuse and she knew it, and judging by their faces, the others knew it too.

"But," Pinkie started.

"No buts Pinkie," Applejack lightly cut her off. "Ah've wasted the whole day, and left Big Mac to do everything at the farm. And that just ain't fair to him. Ah have to go back." She stared at the ground again. If her mood was bad before, it plummeted farther now, knowing that she had indeed left Big Mac to do all the harvesting and the chores. Slowly the orange mare turned and trotted slowly away.

Rarity called out to her, "We won't stop looking darling!" That brought a weak smiled to Applejack's face, and she paused mid-step for a moment. If for nothing else than to let the white unicorn know she acknowledged her comment.

Time slowed to a snail's pace, and what felt like hours later, Applejack finally made it back to Sweet Apple Acres. The first thing she noticed was that the orchards still bore a lot of their fruit; just one of many responsibilities that she shirked looking for her hat. She sighed, every little thing she saw or did was a reminder that the old stetson was missing.

Taking that familiar position, her flank facing the thick trunk of the nearest tree, the mare bucked the tree like she always had. No difference in technique, everything the exact same way she had done a thousand times before a week. Only...

This time only a hoof full of fruit fell.

Wincing as the sound of falling apples was not as profound as it should have been, Applejack glanced behind her in shock. There were _maybe_ a dozen apples in the baskets arranged around the base of the tree. Turning her gaze up to the canopy, scores of fruit held firm on their stems, mocking her. The baskets should have been full and the tree empty, but the fact was nearly the opposite. She frowned and tried again, bucking the tree as hard as she could.

Even _fewer_ apples fell this time.

"What in tarnation?" She said aloud.

Applejack ran through the apple bucking technique in her head. Obsessing over every detail of it as it was passed down from Apple to Apple. Pose, balance, the "sweet spot" to hit the tree; hay, she even examined the ground, briefly shifting the blame to the cold hard earth. After several minutes, she came to the conclusion that everything had been done right, so what was the problem?

She tried again, muscle memory reciting perfection.

Even still, maybe dozen apples fell, the tree still holding on to the majority of its bounty.

"What the hay!" Applejack practically yelled, turning to face the tree. Where she had bucked the trunk, square in the middle, were a pair of hoof prints neatly engraved in the thick bark. The near perfect prints were evidence that accuracy wasn't the issue. Experience told her that the spot in question was the best possible spot for the best possible results. Applejack just stood there, mouth agape at what she believed to be impossible.

Then the old hat popped in her mind.

"No," She shouted, arguing with the defiant tree. "That's just crazy talk! There is no way losin' mah hat could affect my apple bucking!" Applejack may have stated it, may have made it concrete in her head, but the pit rising from her stomach said otherwise. Knowing she was lying to herself, she growled in frustration as her eyes misted over.

_If'n Ah can't buck apples, what use am Ah?_ Applejack chastised herself for her failure. It stung, deeply, more so than anything else. More so than not placing first in the Canterlot rodeo. More so than believing she had lost Sweet Apple Acres to those Flim Flam characters. More so than missing her home when she tried to fit in in Manehatten. The mere thought of being useless. _Useless._

"Aaahhhhh!" Applejack screamed, bucking the tree in anger, then again, and again, repeatedly venting her fury; the tree itself beginning to crack and split. Oddly, just as before, the apples stayed firmly in place, wobbling back and forth, but never more than a couple falling. The towering plant listed as the mare halted her assault, breathing hard. Gritting her teeth, the farm pony glared venomously at the old tree, a huge splintering canyon bisecting it horizontally, then at the cursed apples still holding firm.

Hot tears poured down the pony's eyes, reminded again of that word that currently stained her. For a moment she imagined the villain Discord mocking her, his snake like voice teasing her, taunting her.

_You're such a failure Applejack, _he laughed contemptuously, yet in a bemused way. _Frankly, I'm surprised the farm hasn't gone under since you took over; the failure that you are and all. _An imaginary claw jabbed at her chest._ Mommy and Daddy would be _so _proud. _More laughter.

Applejack's eyes flashed open, alight with their own thunderstorm of self hatred and contempt. One last buck, with all her strength. The weakened tree gave, a sickening snap as the upper part of the trunk flew several yards back, crashing hard into the neighboring tree. Absolutely no apples fell.

"Ah'm _not_ a failure!" The furious orange mare screamed at the gray sky, a light drizzle now started to pour down from above. Holding that skyward gaze a moment longer before she darted off into the woods. Galloping as fast as her hooves would carry, eager to get away from the laughing apples.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

Heart Phyre listened in stunned silence next to Twilight Sparkle on the couch as Granny Smith told the story of their disappearance, and subsequent events. The deep orange colored mare tried to imagine her own parents in such a fashion. True, Halo and herself had never been that close to their own parents, and the fighting didn't help, but at least they were around. A frown creased on Heart's face as she concentrated on the rug acting as a centerpiece for the floor, a familiar bitterness rising from her chest. Banishing the unpleasant thought from her mind as Twilight spoke.

"That's... horrible. And nopony has heard from them since?" It seemed like a completely unnecessary question. In Heart's mind it seemed like there was only one possible outcome, but she decided to keep that to herself.

Granny Smith solemnly nodded, her tired old eyes staring into the now blazing fireplace.

"You know what this means?" Twilight now turned to the orange pegasus.

It took more effort than it should have, lifting her gaze from the carpet to look the unicorn in the eyes, the frown deepening. This seemed to take Twilight by surprise, but continued on anyways.

"This means that Applejack needs our support more than ever. The hat is important, of that there is no doubt, but we really need to be there for her now." Thunder broke out, interrupting the conversation. The storm was picking up.

Heart glanced from the, now wet with rainwater, window back to Twilight, who waited for her answer. Receiving a nod and a slight smile from the pegasus.

"Okay then. If you'll find Applejack, I'll go and find the others..." The lavender pony looked at Granny Smith, addressing the aging mare. "They need to know too."

"Mah little Applejack might not like it," She said. "But Ah think more good can come from their understanding." No smile this time. The two mares went for the door, thanking Granny Smith for her hospitality as they departed.

The two shared a quick nod before Twilight ran off in the general direction of Ponyville to gather the others, leaving Heart Phyre by her lonesome without so much as a clue to where Applejack might have been. The pegasus looked up to the sky, it certainly reflected the new mood that had downcast her friend on the farm. Even though she knew better, it seemed like more than coincidence.

A loud, violent knocking caught her attention. Heart perked her ears up, twisting them this way and that, trying to pin down the source. The abundance of apple trees made that task more difficult than it should have been, the echo bouncing this way and that; the sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. To make matters worse, the light drizzle was evolving into a full blown rain. Another few minutes and it may upgrade to a downpour; Heart would prefer not to be in the middle of that. Rarity must be in a mad panic right about now, scrambling for any cover that would shield her.

_Thump. _Followed by a tremendous crash. Several birds flew up from a general area.

Heart Phyre jumped half out of her skin, the sound was so loud and unexpected. Even with it echoing amongst the trees, she picked out the source and headed straight for it at top speed to investigate. In no time at all she arrived at what was supposedly the source.

It was a scene of carnage. A nearby tree had been snapped in two like it were a twig, and the still enormous top half had been _thrown_ several yards away. The strength was mind boggling as she stared at the jagged, splintered wood. The base looked no better, the roots beginning to upright from whatever had struck it. Heart had seen lightning strikes before, and this was definitely not the result of that. The storm didn't appear to be unleashing that fury yet anyways, content with just rain and thunder for now.

Timidly the pegasus examined the corpse of the tree. The hoof prints, carved into the tree's trunk like an angry wound, stuck out like a sore hoof. Then the realization dawned on her.

"Applejack!" She called out, trying to catch the mare's attention. It only made sense that it could have been the country pony. What pony else had that kind of strength? The real question was _why_ did she destroy a perfectly good tree.

"Applejack! Where are you?" She called out again. No response. Instead, Heart turned her attention to the ground, looking for anything that might point out where she had gone. After a few moments of searching, she found a faint trail of hoof steps, preserved in the mud. Trying to recall which area they were headed. Coming up with nothing, she continued on.

Following the trail at a brisk pace, Heart Phyre kept her eyes and ears open, occasionally calling out her friend's name. Some time had gone by and she began to wonder if maybe she was going the wrong way, the trail was becoming more difficult to follow. It was kind of ironic; she was searching for the mare that would likely be the best at following another's trail through the wilderness. The surrounding wasn't helping either. Similar row after row, identical tree after identical tree, Heart was beginning to get a little dizzy; until the sound of rushing water caught her attention.

Just yards away through the thicket of the forest, the crystal clear water of the Ponyville river rushed before her. Already the rainfall made the body of water race down the riverbed, the choppiness ruining what would have been a near perfectly flat surface. There was also evidence of debris from the wind, which grew ever stronger as time went by.

The pegasus's heart jumped, a terrible thought crossing her mind. _Applejack wouldn't_...

_No,_ Heart Phyre physically shook her head, denying the thought from taking root. Still, she found herself scanning the waters, looking for any sign, an orange leg or a blond maned head. When this proved fruitless, she finally searched up river along the banks.

Heart Phyre sighed in relief as she spotted a flat, light orange lump some distance away with three red dots on it laying down just a few feet from the river's edge: Applejack. Eagerly she made her way over to the farm mare, a satisfied smile creasing her lips. For a moment Heart thought she was asleep, but as she got closer that thought was proven false when she saw that Applejack's eyes were only just barely open; finding incredible interest in the turmoiling waters below, not caring that the rain poured down on her.

By now both mare's manes were plastered to their heads. Heart trotted right up next to the saddened pony, sitting down next to her while preserving personal space. The pegasus extended her wing, providing a makeshift umbrella since she didn't have one in her saddle bag. The posters and paper based supplies were likely ruined, but that hardly mattered; there were more important things to deal with right here, right now.

Applejack's ear perked up, probably as it dawned on her that her head was no longer getting rained on, or maybe why it had suddenly grown a bit darker, and turned her head to take a look. If the earth pony was surprised to see her, she didn't show it as she returned her gaze to the river.

Without looking up she asked, "No luck findin' it huh?"

"No," Heart sighed. "But we have posters all over town. I'd say it's only a matter of time."

Applejack huffed, unconvinced.

"If'n ya followed me, you must've seen it then." It seemed like a bit of an accusation.

Heart blinked, momentarily confused as to what Applejack was referencing, then remembered the mangled tree. "Yeah, I saw the tree." Being specific, just to be sure they were on the same page.

The mare buried her head in her arms, mumbling. "Then ya know Ah'm a failure too..."

_Failure? Huh?_ Now Heart was really confused. Why in Equestria would she think – oh. The thought cleared up as the pegasus recalled a detail that was nearly missed. There were half full buckets of apples near the stump, and still plenty of the juicy red fruit left on the branches. That explained it.

"You're not a failure," Heart decided to be blunt.

"Yes Ah am," Applejack rebounded, burying her head further in the ground. "Ah couldn't buck more than ah fraction a' them apples. Ah've let them both down." That must have referred to the Apple family parents that Granny Smith told her about.

"Applejack..." Heart tried to console her friend, but she kept going.

"Ah promised them Ah'd keep the farm goin'. Ah promised them ah'd take care of the family. How can Ah do that now if'n Ah can't buck apples?" Slight sobs now intruded, Applejack making an immense effort to hide them. "Ah've let Big McIntosh down by runnin' off on a foal's errand leavin' him ta pick up mah slack. And now Ah'm of no use to him or Applebloom or anypony. Ah'm –" She choked up for a moment. "_Useless._" The word completely didn't match up with the pony Heart was talking to.

Even in the short time Heart had known the hard working earth pony, "useless" was the last word on her mind when she thought of Applejack. Hay, it didn't even come close. Suddenly Heart felt inadequate for trying to solve this debacle. In terms of providing examples of why Applejack was wrong about this state of mind, she lacked any kind of memory to fall back on. Except maybe one.

"You weren't useless when you and the others set up the shop for Halo and I," Heart said gently, reminding the mare of her recent good deed.

It worked a little bit, she now had her head resting on her hooves, looking across the rushing river instead of buried in the mud. "True," She admitted. The dumps seem to be receding, Heart knew she had to press on if she hoped to help further.

Quickly, she tried to recall some of the things she had heard from Twilight.

"You weren't useless when Ponyville was nearly stampeded by cows," Heart recalled.

Applejack sighed. That memory may have had a bad note attached to it. She tried again.

"You weren't useless when Dash needed encouragement for that competition," That seemed to work a bit better.

"You weren't useless when Fluttershy needed help going up that mountain," Applejack rose her head up a bit more.

"You weren't useless when Night Mare Moon tried to entangle the world in eternal night," That deed had become legendary, and its news spread quickly. Six ponies that used the revitalized Elements of Harmony to defeat a fearsome foe. Now Applejack sat upright.

"That's all true Ah s'ppose," The mare didn't sound so sure.

"Of course it's true," Heart reinforced. "You are far from useless Applejack. Just because you lose an item of importance doesn't change who you are. You are still Applejack. You are the one that completes the hat, not the other way around."

Now Applejack turned to look her dead in the eye. Heart smiled warmly for assurance.

"Do y'all know why that hat is so important to me?" She asked in a blunt tone. More of a statement than a question.

"Granny Smith," Heart fessed up. "Told me what happened..." She trailed off, not sure whether she should complete the sentence.

Applejack smiled, but weakly, shaking her head a bit. "That night they disappeared. That is the truth. But the next day we got a letter from the mailpony. It..." Applejack trailed off, sighing before continuing. "It delivered the bad news. They found their cart, and even more, the letter came back with ma's bow. Applebloom wears it now. The stetson belonged to mah pa." She described the significance of both items. Heart sat quietly and listened.

"Ah made a promise that day," She continued. "Ta keep this farm alive. In their name. In their memory." She glanced at the three small apples decorating her flank. "But more than that. For Applebloom, the poor filly. They went when she was just a foal. She has no memory of them Heart."

Heart paused, not quite knowing what to say, then a thought came to her.

"Did they love her?" Heart asked, bracing for the response.

Applejack gave her a _what-the-hay?_ look. "What kinda question is that ta be askin'?"

"What I mean is, does she know they loved her?" She asked again, changing the question slightly.

"O' course!"

"Then they are not gone," Heart said. "They're with Applebloom, they're with Big McIntosh, and they're with you, Applejack. Always and forever." Applejack's stern expression softened as the message sunk in.

Once more she turned to face Heart. "Thanks," She said, wearing that old, genuine smile now. "Ah reckon." Heart returned the smile, happy that Applejack was her old self. Or at least close enough for now.

_Crack_.

Heart Phyre and Applejack both jumped as a lightning bolt boomed in the distance, shattering the tranquility.

"I think we should get out of this storm now," Heart suggested, feeling nervous.

Applejack laughed, "Might be a good idear,"

The two stand up, Heart Phyre retracts her wing, as both mares are already fully soaked and couldn't possibly get wetter. Happy that they were finally going to head inside when Applejack pauses, her ears swiveling.

"Do y'all hear that?"

The pegasus tensed, listening. "Vaguely..." It was difficult to make out, sounding like it was coming from some distance away, coming from upriver. It didn't sound like the rushing water, it was too high pitched. The two returned what little distance they had put between themselves and the river bank, searching the sounds for the source.

Something large and made of wood came around the bend upstream. Steadily growing larger as it grew closer to their position. Heart Phyre squinted, as did Applejack, trying to place the mysterious object. There was a multitude of colors other than the typical brown of the wood. A few shades of orange, a crimson red, white and a light purple. Individual shapes became more distinguished, and at the same time the noise grew more distinct.

With mounting horror, the shapes became recognizable as heads; about four of them altogether. The noise – now registered as screams – as four familiar fillies rode in an inadequately sized boat being jostled and jammed down the raging river. Completely at the water's mercy.

"Applebloom?" Applejack said, confused. Then quickly turned into a panicked shout. "Applebloom! What the hay are y'all doin'!"

Heart joined in, recognizing one of the fillies as her own. "Halo!" Her jaw dropped. "Get out of that boat right now!" Protective, motherly instincts kicking in.

"We can't!" Halo retorted, the fear evident as she tried to hang on to the side of the boat. "We lost the ores almost as soon as we started!"

In quick succession, the boat had matched the position of the two mares on the bank, whom gave chase, following alongside the hapless craft.

"We need to do something," Heart stated the obvious, running alongside Applejack. "Any ideas?"

"Ah don't know," She replied, the panic rising. "Ah don't know!"

It seemed like the only hope was to wait for the river to move the fillies close enough for them to grab hold. That seemed extremely unlikely however, and the both knew it. Heart tried to think of something... anything. Heart looked up, and overjoyed at the sight before her.

"Applejack!" Pointing the mare in the direction of what she saw. A short distance away came Rainbow Dash, followed closely by Fluttershy, battling against the wind currents, heading straight for them.

"Am Ah glad to see you two!" Applejack stated, relief washing over them both. "Quick!" The orange earth pony pointed at the boat. Rainbow and Fluttershy wasted no time, diving for the boat.

Before they reached it however, the small naval craft suddenly lurched to a sudden halt, spinning around violently before continuing down the river. An ear-splitting scream erupted, and was suddenly cut off by a loud splash. There was one less filly in the boat. Heart had been too busy watching the pegasi in the sky to see who had fallen in, but was relieved that it wasn't Halo. A quick analysis told her that it was Applebloom; the shriek of terror from Applejack confirmed it.

"No!" Applejack shouted. "Applebloom!" She picked up the pace, Heart struggling to keep up.

By then, Rainbow and Fluttershy had a hold of the boat and were struggling against the current to bring it to shore, fighting inch by inch since it was too heavy a load to simply lift out of the choppy waters. Heart gave solace that the rest of them were safe, now focused on trying to spot Applebloom among the murky tides.

No matter how hard she tried, Heart couldn't spot the crimson maned filly or her pink bow. It seemed she had completely been swallowed by the river. Debris began appearing, mixed among the water, like vegetable soup. Branches, leaves, and other hazardous objects permeated the river entirely. The debris, coupled with the turbulent waters, would create an extremely hostile environment. She shuttered, thinking about the filly getting beaten and battered against everything, completely at the mercy of the tides.

"Help!" The distinctive cry rang in Hearts ears, she scanned the surface, trying to find the source. She spotted the filly's head, just for a moment, before she was sucked back down. "Hel –" Another cry as the filly popped up again, cut short.

Heart stole a glance at Applejack. The mare's face was screwed up in absolute horror, utterly terrified that this was happening, maybe even in disbelief as she thought the earth pony looked dazed. Underneath it though, Heart Phyre saw that determination that vividly described the mare in question, deep in her green eyes. Applejack wasn't going to give up, and neither was Heart.

Another sound permeated the chaos, a constant, throaty roar some distance upstream that distinguished itself from everything else. Heart couldn't place it, she didn't know the area, but Applejack certainly did; the panic growing ten fold as she gasped in realization.

"The waterfall!" The farm mare announced.

Despite being soaking wet and very cold, Heart felt a vivid chill run down her spine. Not only did they need to do something, but they had to do it _now._ Out of the corner of her eye, Heart saw the filly appear again, only this time there was no scream for help accompanying it. Another splash, and it took several seconds for the pegasus to register that her friend had _jumped_ into the river, going after the motionless Applebloom, bobbing up and down in the water.

_Great,_ Heart thought, panic rising in her demeanor. _Great! And how are you supposed to get back out Applejack? Did you even think about that? _Of course, Heart considered that had things happened differently just moments ago, she would likely have done the exact same thing. Still, the point remained: how the hay was she supposed to help them out now? Soon after Applejack had jumped in, she had a hold of Applebloom, both of them rushing towards the waterfall some distance away.

"Come on Heart," She said to herself. "Think! There must be something..." Concentrating hard as she continued the chase down the river bank.

A light bulb flashed in her mind's eye.

Reaching into the sobbing wet saddle pack, forgotten up until this point, Heart withdrew a long length of rope with her good wing. It was a long shot, but it could work.

"Applejack!" She called out for her friend's attention. The mare tried to look in the pegasus's direction, with great difficulty due to the raging river, but seemed to get the idea; Heart thought she could make out a nod.

Quickly calculating where she would need to throw it, Heart launched the whole bundle into the air, several feet ahead of where she predicted the pair would be. It wasn't a perfect shot, and Heart feared she had missed their only chance, but at the last second Applejack grasped the bundle with her maw before it could get away from her. Heart watched, standing by as the orange mare frantically untangled the rope. The roar of the waterfall grew louder all the time, and now the mists from it were visible in the distance.

_Come on,_ Heart thought, her eyes glued to Applejack. _Come on! There isn't much time left! _The mental image of Applejack and Applebloom plummeting to their doom wasn't a pleasant one.

Finally the mare in the river had the rope arranged the way she needed it: a lasso. Demonstrating a great deal of skill, Applejack spun the loop in the air, making eye contact with Heart making sure she was ready. Heart nodded, not wishing to waste more of what little precious time they had left.

Applejack let loose with the lasso. Heart watched it coming directly towards her. When she thought the moment was right, Heart launched herself in the air with her legs, aiming for the lasso. She didn't try to grab it with her mouth, instead aiming for her midsection to use her body as an anchor. There was no way the pegasus could hold on to the rope with just her teeth. Heart winced and felt the wind get knocked out of her chest as the thick rope tightened over her torso, revitalizing the pain from the accident with the hammer.

As soon as Heart hit the ground, she put on the breaks. Hooves leaving four distinct tracks in the mud, the strength of the river dragging her along for the ride. Scrambling, the pegasus tried to reverse, desperately trying to gain a satisfactory foothold. Her left wing felt like it was ablaze with fire, the bruised appendage pinned under the harsh rope, tightening slowly like a snake as the tension held.

Heart ignored the pain the best she could, struggling with every step. The water's edge drew closer to her, threatening to swallow the pegasus whole. Heart enveloped herself in darkness, closing her eyes trying to concentrate further. The rope was far tighter than she imagined, vastly limiting the oxygen she could inhale; Heart felt her face change color and build up heat, a combination of frustration and suffocation. If the river couldn't overpower her outright, it would just have to wait for her to pass out from lack of oxygen... or for her spine to snap in two.

Just as she was starting to see stars, and hope seemed lost, Heart felt the rope lose some of its vice like grip. Despite still being too tight to allow her breath, the pegasus redoubled her efforts, and was rewarded with what felt like a gain. For a moment Heart believed her imagination was playing tricks on her, and forced her eyes open. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had their backs to her and the rescue line in their mouths, pulling for all they were worth.

She smiled as much as her strained face allowed. "It's about time," The deep orange pegasus weakly rasped, barely able to mouth the words, half sarcasm and half elation. Dash must have heard her, as the rainbow maned pegasus briefly turned and winked at her.

The struggle against the river, threatening waterfall dead ahead, turned into a one sided contest as the trio of pegasi tugged against the current. Gaining ground by leaps and bounds, they succeeded in pulling out the Apple sisters after only a few short moments. When Heart saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash helping the pair out of the river through blackening vision, she collapsed on the muddy earth, without the strength to so much as stand.

Heart wheezed, her breath obviously still miles behind. After several moments the rope was finally removed from around her waist, and the exhausted pony sucked in a great breath of air, greedy for the oxygen. When she opened her eyes next, the concerned face of a certain purple unicorn greeted her.

Heart coughed violently, rising into a sitting position, looking at Twilight. "Are they...?" Heart stopped as her gaze drifted to Applejack, shouting at the unconscious form of Applebloom on the wet earth, a short distance away. They were all there, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and the rest of the fillies; Heart sighed when she saw Halo safe and sound.

"I..." Twilight hesitated, helping Heart to her feet. "I don't know."

Confused, Heart looked over at the motionless Applebloom, minor cuts and bruises decorated her small body, as they did Applejack's. Nothing appeared to be broken, no serious injuries. However, the strongest detail was the fact that the little filly's chest wasn't moving, streams of water leading away from her agape maw.

"No!" Applejack was shouting, crying. "No, Applebloom, no!" The mare began pounding on the filly's chest, trying to resuscitate her. Agonizing second after second passed, the whole of the group remained deadly silent, not daring to move a muscle.

The body suddenly jerked, and Applebloom began violently coughing, expelling what seemed like gallons of water from her throat. Everypony sighed in relief, Applejack naturally was ecstatic.

"Maybe," Applebloom tried to speak, coughing every other word. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea..." Barely keeping her eyes open. Applebloom, exhaustion overtaking the filly, became still again. Although this time she had simply passed out.

The initial tension broken, other conversations emerged. Rarity turned on Sweetie Belle, chastising her for trying such a foolish stunt; the smaller unicorn squeamishly apologizing. Rainbow Dash and Twilight were lecturing Scootaloo, obviously trying to convince the younger pegasus to be more careful, likely saying how disappointed they were. Heart Phyre herself made eye contact with Halo as she approached. The younger sibling hanging her head, expecting the berating.

Oh did Heart want to scream her head off at her younger sister, scaring her half to death with that little stunt. The filly sat down in front of her, at a loss for words. The building anger in the adult mare showed in a mild scowl, which made Halo wince. However, as quickly as it came, the anger cooled; replaced with a sense of relief that she was safe. Without warning, Heart reached out and embraced the small filly.

"You're not mad at me?" Halo tentatively asked.  
"Yes," Heart replied, pulling away but keeping her hooves on her sister. "Yes I am very mad at you. But..." She let the scowl soften. "I'm also glad you're safe. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you." Heart looked over to Applejack. She was sitting on the ground, tightly embracing the unconscious Applebloom.

"I'm sorry," Halo said. "We were trying to earn our cutie marks." She confessed.

Heart sighed in annoyance, considering what she was told. "So you thought you'd risk your life?" The pegasus scolded. "Never mind, I'm just glad you're safe." She repeated.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

The worst of the storm had passed over faster than expected. The thunder had died down and the lightning was non existent; even the down pouring rain was reduced to little more than a drizzle. Despite the lateness of the day, small cracks formed in the dissipating cloud cover, allowing sparse rays of sunlight to peak through. Gracing the rows of apple trees in the immense orchard.

Heart trotted down the muddy country path alongside the rest of the ponies on their way to the farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. Like Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, she had an exhausted little filly draped over her back, carrying them.

The pegasus watched the farm mare, picking up the pace until she matched that of Applejack's. She seemed like her old self now, it was time to make sure. Gently, she nudged the mare's neck. The orange earth pony turned to meet Heart's smiling face, graciously returning the gesture.

Applejack mouths her silent thanks. Heart returns with a nod.

Minutes go by and the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres comes into view. Everypony picks up the pace, worn down from the day's events and eager for warmth and a chance to dry off. As they approach, Big McIntosh is pacing just outside the door with Granny Smith asleep in an old rocking chair. McIntosh and Applejack exchange a few words, the stallion asks where they had been and inquires what happened to Applebloom. The middle sibling simply replies that it's a long story, and emphasizes that she needs to get everypony inside to warm up, especially the fillies.

Big McIntosh reluctantly lets the subject fall, ushering the group inside. Quickly Heart follows Applejack and the others upstairs, drying off the sleeping fillies and tucking them under the comforter of a large bed to keep warm. They return downstairs to Granny Smith and McIntosh passing out blankets and home made quilts to everypony. Applejack retreats to the kitchen, stating that she's going to prepare some hot food.

After a short while, the fillies come down from the upstairs bedroom and group together with their respective families, and Scootaloo getting close to Rainbow Dash.

"Ugh," Snorts Rarity. "I simply cannot believe how wet I am. I _loathe_ getting wet." Casting an irritated look at Sweetie Belle, but cuddles with the smaller unicorn anyways. Heart snickers at Rarity's discomfort, as well as some of the others. Halo warms up next to her own sister, resting her head on her lap.

"Look on the bright side Rarity," Rainbow says casually, off in the corner of the room, gazing out the window. "At least now you won't need a bath for a while."

The soaked unicorn shoots Dash a glare, everypony else stifling their own giggles. "I don't find that amusing in the slightest. I mean really..."

Heart glanced at Rainbow Dash in the corner, she seemed anxious, eager to leave and obviously didn't like the idea of huddling under a blanket. She was conversing with Twilight, and based on the looks on their faces, Heart guessed that Rainbow thought she didn't believe she could catch a cold, while the lavender unicorn was likely trying to convince the stubborn mare otherwise. Little Scoots, right next to the older mare, seemed like she thought the exact same.

_They'll regret that later,_ Heart thought, smiling and shaking her head.

"Soup's on everypony!" Applejack emerged from the kitchen doorway, balancing on her back a platter with a steaming cauldron and many spoons and bowls. With practiced ease she nudged the platter on to the coffee table, urging everypony to grab a bowl while it was still hot. Soon thereafter, they were all enjoying the warming feeling of home made country vegetable soup, warming them inside and out. Even Rainbow Dash couldn't resist the savory scent, eager to get a her own.

"Well it seems losin' mah hat didn't affect my ability ta cook!" Applejack said casually, everypony clearly enjoying the stew.

"Wait what was that yer sayin'?" Granny Smith, snoozing up until now, said aloud. "Lost yer hat ya says?"

"Yes, Ah woke up this mornin' and it was gone." Applejack explained, but effortlessly kept her smile. Seems she has genuinely gotten over it now, not really bothered by it.

Granny laughed out loud, slapping her knee. Everypony was now staring in confusion at Applejack and the aging mare. The younger mare now lost her smile, seemingly annoyed that it appeared to be so funny.

"Well why din't'ya just say so!" Granny got up out of her chair and disappeared into the back of the house. A moment later she returned, the sought after brown old stetson in her mouth.

"Mah hat!" Applejack snatched the hat from Granny Smith, immediately planting it on her head, smiling from ear to ear. "Granny how...?" She started to ask, but the older mare just held up a hoof.

"Ah wash yer hat every now and again while yer asleep!" Granny answered. "Ya see, this whipper snapper here gets real ornery when ya touch her hat. But the darned thing still needs ta be washed like any other clothing. So Ah sneak in real quiet like and give it a good cleanin'. Today though, Ah fell asleep an' forgot to put it back in its restin' place."

Applejack facehooved, as did everypony else. "Ah reckon Ah put y'all through a real goose chase, havn't Ah?" Granny Smith tried to apologize.

"No, that's mah fault Granny," Applejack intervened. "Ah'm the one that dragged everypony else into this. Overreactin' the way Ah did. And worst of all, Ah put almost more importance in a material possession than in the family Ah still have." The mare hung her head in apparent shame.

"There's no need to apologize AJ," Twilight spoke up now, taking the final sip of her soup.

"She's right," Heart Phyre chimed in, everypony else nodding in agreement.

"And that sounds like a letter!" The unicorn finished. Heart did a double take at Twilight's last comment, confused as to what the unicorn could possibly mean. "I'll explain later."

If Applejack wasn't normal before, she certainly was now that the stetson was firmly planted on her head. The group sat around the table chowing down on the soup until not a drop was left, laughing and telling stories, the dreadful events of the day temporarily forgotten. As if emulating the exact mood of the setting, brilliant rays of sun poured through the open window as the ball of fire in the sky began to rest behind the mountains.


	4. Chapter 4

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust

Written By: TOO S0BER

Chapter 4: Under the Bridge

The light pervaded the corners of the room as the sun crested the horizon once more, lifted by Princess Celestia in her never ending responsibilities. Even as the fiery orb only just crested the horizon, already the light was bright and crisp. The signal of a new and glorious day.

Slowly Heart opened her eyes, a slight yawn escaping the she sat up and winced. The bruised wing, made even worse by her attempt to help Applejack, still ached furiously. Breathing was still a chore as she examined the angry red line bisecting her in half. The brick red pegasus sat up slowly and stretched, checking the time. It was very early in the morning, the shopkeepers would only just be setting up now.

The first thing Heart did was quickly, yet silently make her way to Halo's bedroom, stealthily wounding her way through the various debris in the messy filly's room. Cautiously she placed a forehoof on the smaller pegasus's forehead, feeling for a temperature. She sighed as everything seemed normal. Luckily the storm, and being out in that wet weather, hadn't given either of them a cold.

"Thank Celestia," Heart whispered before exiting the room to prepare breakfast.

While the adult mare prepared the morning meal physically, her mind was elsewhere, thinking about the rest of her friends. Did any of them get sick? The most likely candidates would have to be Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The farmer spent a good bit of time in that river, and Dash didn't even get warm under a blanket; claiming it was "uncool" or something ridiculous like that. Believing she was too cool to get sick from a little water. With any luck the hot soup would be enough to ward off the sickness. But still she had doubts.

Heart Phyre was halfway through a batch of cherry vanilla pancakes when a frantic knock came to the door. That couldn't possibly be a customer could it? The grand opening was still two days away, and besides, a shop like this doesn't open this early; maybe for another hour at least. Looking back and forth between the dreamy smelling cakes and the door, Heart decided she had enough time to answer before they ran the risk of burning.

Another knock, louder and more frantic.

"I'm coming," the pegasus shouted while removing her apron and hat. "I'm coming, hold your horseshoes!" Heart wasn't normally grumpy like that, but rudeness got to her in a big way.

Finally she opened the door and was rewarded by Twilight Sparkle cantering in place, looking like she had a Manticore or some other dangerous creature chasing after her. The unicorn stopped when she saw the pegasus.

"Twilight what's – ack!" The purple unicorn grabbed Heart Phyre by the shoulders, making her wince in pain from the injured wing. Twilight was rambling on so fast that the confused mare she was dragging only caught a few words. Something about a train, followed by a meeting, and that being late was horrible and could only be avoided by doing something now. If this was back in Buckson, she'd be crying out for help, that a psycho was foalnapping her, or something similar. But this was not Buckson, and this was a pony she knew – and was friends with. Twilight was still rambling when Heart mustered the strength to pull away.

The pegasus stumbled back on her haunches, looking directly at Twilight. "What the hay is going on Twilight?" Heart made no attempt to hide her annoyance.

"Princesses!" Twilight started, cantering in place again. "Meeting. Important. Canterlot."

"Okay," Heart blinked, twice. "What's so important about this meeting?"

"Late! Tardy!" Twilight looked to the sky as if expecting an anvil to fall on her head. "Train out of service! Storm! Must. Leave. NOW!"

Twilight got no further as Heart shoved a hoof in her face, she stopped cantering in place and stared.

"Okay," Heart said slowly. "I understand this is very important, but I cannot understand a word you are saying. Slow down, start at the beginning, and explain." Her wing made her wince again. "And easy on the violence!" She finished, removing her hoof from the unicorns muzzle, rubbing the sore appendage gingerly.

Twilight nodded in understanding, conceding to Heart Phyre. "Right, right." She took a deep breath and said in a much calmer tone. "The Princesses have summoned us to Canterlot for a very important meeting – including you Heart. However, we need to leave right now if we're going to be on time. The tunnel in the mountain took a direct hit from a lightning strike, and has collapsed; which means we will need to travel by hoof to get there." Twilight finished.

Heart just sat there, jaw agape. The Princesses wanted to see her? Why? Heart Phyre didn't consider herself special; not enough for a royal audience anyway. Forcing her jaw back into place with a hoof, she voiced the question in her head. "But why me?"

"I don't know," Twilight said plainly with a slow shake of her head. "but it's the _Princesses_, so it _must_ be important. And more importantly, we are going to be late if we don't go soon. I still have to round up Applejack and Rainbow Dash." It was then that Heart noticed Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy standing a short distance away, waiting patiently.

"Can it wait five minutes?" Heart cautiously asked, remembering that she still had breakfast to finish. "I had some food on the stove. Won't take long, I promise." She outstretched a hoof for emphasis.

The unicorn groaned, but nodded.

Heart dashed back into the kitchen in time to prevent the pancakes from burning. In short order, she set the table for Halo (when she finally got up), doing whatever she could to help the heat last longer in the meal. Scarfing down her own fill, Heart wrote a quick note for Halo explaining where she was going for the day. Shortly thereafter she was galloping down the road with Twilight and the others, heading straight for Sweet Apple Acres.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

At full gallop, the distance to the nearby farm was covered in quick succession. Passing row upon row of trees. Heart glanced around and saw the ruined stump from the day before, minutes before the near disaster at the Ponyville river. Silently giving thanks that everything turned out okay the way it did.

Twilight ran at manic speeds, Heart and the others barely able to keep up with the unicorn. She only slowed when Rarity had practically, and dramatically, begged for a short break. The fashionista unicorn unaccustomed to galloping for such prolonged periods at the pace the librarian was setting. Heart didn't blame Rarity, feeling incredibly winded as well, even though the dark orange pegasus had a bruised ribcage as an excuse. Her chest burned from the effort, the short rest very, very welcome.

"Come on girls," said their unicorn leader. "we're almost there!" Gesturing over a short topped hill at the number of buildings that could be none other than Applejack's farm.

In unison, minus Twilight, the rest of the ponies groaned and continued at a slower trot; much to Twilight's annoyance. Heart couldn't hold back a slight smile watching her friend's frustration. Apparently she held the princesses in such high esteem that believing anything short of utter perfection was an affront to them. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed like most of the ponies in Ponyville did the same. Now, Heart didn't disrespect the princesses, no (in fact she too held them in high respects); but she also believed they were more down to earth than many would admit.

Heart cut her thoughts short and snickered as Twilight banged on the farmstead door, likely in the same comical manner she had done to everypony else. Although, this time as Applejack answered, the unicorn skipped the step of yanking the earth pony from the frame as she had done to Heart earlier.

"A meetin'?" Applejack said with a sense of reverie. "With the princesses?"

"Yes!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Ah'm sorry Twi," the farmer said, staring at the floor between her hooves. "But Ah can't go with ya."

At that moment the unicorn's mouth dropped to the floor and screeched, "WHAT!?"

Applejack recoiled and hurriedly explained, "Applebloom's caught a doozy of a cold Twi. Ah have to take care of her – and Rainbow Dash too."

"They're both sick?" Heart asked before Twilight could screech again now that the rainbow pegasus likely wouldn't be coming either.

Applejack nodded, "E'yup." She rolled her eyes and concluded with, "Because she stubbornly refused a blanket last night, it gave her the chills down to her bones."

The farm mare turned back to the waiting unicorn – the latter's expression still aghast, "Ah'm sure the princesses will understand, but Ah can't go, and that's that." Applejack emphasized with a light stomp of her forehoof, a look of determination on her face.

"But, I – we need – Arrugh! Fine," the purple unicorn stammered.

"Everything will be okay dear," Rarity offered. "Tend to your family."

Heart nodded and added, "A cold is just that, a cold. If you need anything, Halo should be home most of the day. She didn't come down with it from what I could tell." Heart smiled warmly.

"Oh! We'll have to throw a get better party when we get back! It'll be so much fun! Unless they throw up, then that wouldn't be fun. But throwing up makes ponies feel at least a little bit better, but then again not if it happens too much." Pinkie rambled while Fluttershy just nodded. Heart couldn't help but roll her eyes. Perhaps it would be important to explain how colds work to Pinkie Pie. Even after the symptoms go away, it's still a good idea to rest a while longer. Many times with Halo or herself, a cold had resurfaced the next day because of too strenuous an activity too soon. Partying would be out. Especially if Heart had anything to say about it as far as Halo was concerned.

Applejack nodded at the comments, a more hopeful smile creasing her lips. "It took a w'ile, but Ah managed to keep Rainbow in bed. Twi, do y'all mind if'n Ah stop by the library to get some more o' them Daring Do books to keep Dash occupied? Ah only have a few and she's done read 'em already."

Twilight awoke out of the trance she was in, not knowing what Applejack had just said. The farmer repeated, and the librarian agreed. Informing her friend to just ask Spike.

"Ah'm real sorry about this Twi," Applejack apologized for maybe the dozenth time.

Twilight sighed and smiled, seeming to finally accept that with a cool head. "It's okay. Like you said, perhaps the princesses will understand. But if not –" an exceedingly worrisome grimace fell over her face.

"Then Ah'll make a personal point to apologize in person," the farm mare honestly promised.

Pinkie Pie gave Applejack an odd, very suspicious glare.

The orange pony gulped and added, "Ah Pinkie promise – and this time Ah will." Sticking a hoof in her eye. This seemed to make Pinkie happy, as she bounced once with a gleeful smile. Heart just looked confused. What just happened?

Rarity caught her expression and simply said, "Long story dear. But do remember to ask, it's a funny story... well..." The white unicorn gave a _look_ to Pinkie Pie, and then to the farm house. Heart guessed it was meant for Rainbow Dash. "...most of it anyways."

"Okay then," that didn't assuage the confusion at all.

Suddenly a scream erupted from the second story floor, making all the mares jump. It came from a very familiar tom-coltish voice.

"Keep that away from me –" the shout was interrupted by an involuntary _gulp, _immediately followed by a series of _bleghs, _and sputtering noises. "Help! They're making me take _poison!_"

The familiar voice of Granny Smith chastised, "Oh fiddle sticks! Y'er worse than Applejack when she was a filly with a flu!" putting two and two together, Heart assumed the 'poison' was just cold medicine. Applejack blushed with embarrassment, reminded of herself whenever she had to take the awful tasting syrup. From somewhere above, Applebloom's raspy voice commented on Dash being a foal, before _bleghing_ herself when she got her own spoonful.

Everypony laughed.

That reminded Heart, "Rarity, is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sick?"

The unicorn shook her head, alleviating the fear. "No, and I don't believe I'd be going to Canterlot if she were, either." Rarity explained evenly. She further made some reference to Apple Pie that only garnered a stare from the pegasus, and waved it off as another thing to 'ask about later'.

Heart wanted to slam her hoof in her face. Of _course _Rarity wouldn't be here if her little sister and friend were sick. Duh. Still, she felt grateful that Halo hadn't caught the river bug.

Everypony waved goodbye to Applejack, wishing well the two sick ponies in the room upstairs, still hearing annoyed protests that must have come from Rainbow Dash. They made one quick trip back to the library, Twilight had forgotten the map they would need, which seemed to shock everypony since the hyper-organized unicorn usually had checklists of _checklists_ apparently. In short order, the five made their way to the outskirts of Ponyville, the majestic cliff side capital of Equestria off in the distance.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

For once Heart Phyre was grateful that many clouds still obscured the open expanse of the blue sky, shielding the travelers from the heat of Celestia's sun as they crossed grassy hills and meadows on their way to Canterlot. Otherwise, the trek would have been much more miserable as the heat would have been beating all of them into submission. That, and she was grateful that Rarity wasn't given the opportunity to whine about it.

Paradoxically, Pinkie Pie made some joke referring to some event that the deep orange pegasus had no clue about. Something about Diamond Dogs and the white unicorn convincing them to let her go, with a mountain of gems, by whining. Wait... did she hear that right?

"What...?" Heart asked, perking her bored ears up to full attention.

"That's right!" Pinkie exclaimed, "She got them to let her go by _whining_!" the pink earth pony laughed with a snort.

Rarity groaned, "I will clarify once more," she coughed in _ahem_, as though preparing an elegant speech. "I was not whining, I was complaining. There is an enormous difference between the two, and it served my manipulation of the Diamond Dogs very well I will have you know." She finally finished.

_What's the difference between whining and complaining? _Heart mentally quizzed herself. Weren't they both essentially the same? She thought about it for a few moments, conjuring up the dictionary definitions as well as many abstract examples. After a while longer, she gave up before being rewarded with a headache that she didn't need nor wanted. Instead saving the debate for a more comfortable atmosphere.

Almost as if reading her mind, Twilight glanced back at the pegasus with a knowing smile, mouthing the words: _don't drive yourself crazy over it. Believe me, I know._ Just like with the whining adventure, Heart had no idea what their unicorn leader was referring to, but wisely let it slide. Perhaps she would ask her friend to share more of their, apparently quite entertaining, stories again.

Now she needed a distraction. While dragging the heavy cart from Buckson to Ponyville several days prior, Heart had been plenty occupied by the remarkable change in scenery. What with the plants, grass, trees, etcetera decorating the flowing landscape like a masterful piece of art.

Peeled from the waning interest in the pretty surroundings, Heart began to worry about Halo. Frowning at the sky, she wondered if the breakfast was sufficiently cooked. At the very least it would taste awful, at the most the filly could get sick from the egg the recipe called for. Did she know what to do if she got seriously ill? Did she even know where the hospital was in Ponyville? What if something else horrible happens? Unpleasant images of the house catching fire spontaneously forced itself into her mind's eye, followed by the same building collapsing in an earthquake. Later, random objects, such as a safe, a piano and a massive _wagon_ seemed to crush the structure far too easily. What if...

Heart tripped and landed flat on her face with an _oof_, feeling the strong tug of something grasping her tail. She turned her head about on the ground into the worried gazes of her friends, and blushed a little before scrambling to get on her body, and out struck posterior displayed in front of them, off the ground. The something grasping her tail had been Twilight's magic, which faded a few seconds later. Then Heart looked at them... from a distance. In her worry-filled moment, she had quickly trotted several yards ahead of the group, and obviously she either could not, or would not, hear them calling to her.

Twilight was first to speak, snapping Heart from her thoughts, "Are you okay Heart Phyre? You were..." she paused, looking for the appropriate word. "you looked very worried back there."

The pegasus blinked, somewhat confused. "Um, yes?" She wasn't even sure herself, grinning a little _too_ big. The unicorn looked unconvinced, and the utterly fake smile collapsed back into a worried frown.

"I think I have an idea as to what is bothering her," Rarity stepped up, and continued after a pause. "I find myself concerned for Sweetie Belle too. Leaving her all alone, like I did." the elegant unicorn lost some of her composure, staring forlorn at the ground between her hooves. Quickly though, said composure was regained startlingly quickly. "However, I have faith that Sweetie will be fine." she gave a genuine smile, and added, "so will Halo."

That seemed to calm Heart down a bit, smiling weakly. The comforting words had helped greatly, but it didn't completely assuage the concern she felt. The imagination has a way of making everything appear worse than it actually is. She took a deep breath, and nodded to signal that she was ready to continue. Waited for a few seconds as the group caught up and partially passed before returning to the previous rank.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

Much of the trip went on in a boring pattern. The others would reminisce in tales of past adventures that Heart had little or no clue as to what had happened. Twilight fretted over their time table and repeatedly insisted on moving faster, much to everypony's annoyance. Her ears twisted back to listen to Rarity and Fluttershy talk about old photo shoots. Surprisingly, the shy yellow mare blushed and was trying to disappear in her pink mane, while Rarity smiled semi-nervously.

"Okay everypony," Twilight began. "after we cross the nearby bridge, it's a trek through the mountain pass."

Just saying 'bridge' was a bit of an understatement. The river itself at this juncture was easily fifty feet across, and the bridge in question spanned the whole length with only one support actually plunging into the water. Reaching the mouth, it was wide enough to allow two freight wagons to cross at the same time. Despite all this however, the structure seemed like it hadn't been used for quite a while. It wasn't so old that crossing would be hazardous, but the bridge looked like it hadn't seen traffic for many years; most likely due to the Ponyville Express, since it provided a more direct, and faster, line of travel to Canterlot.

The rest of the ponies ooohed and aaawed at the sight of the dilapidated, but magnificent, bridge. Heart remained neutral; Buckson had a few of such bridges, even a couple that were bigger. Although the 'rivers' that they spanned were little more than just chasms of dry riverbed that only flooded during the monsoon season three, maybe four, times a year. One detail did make her smile; the sides of the bridge were adorned with a faded mosaic of the Princesses, Celestia and Luna, in an epic pose of sorts with a half sun, half moon for a background. Surrounding the mosaic were six symbols, along with dozens of smaller ones that were mostly faded to time.

"Yes!" Twilight squeed. "After this it's straight to Canterlot and the princesses!" She burst into a faster trot as Heart and the others rushed to catch up.

"What are those symbols surrounding the princesses?" Heart asked, feeling like it was a dumb question for some reason.

Twilight craned her head back to the pegasus, and slowed her trot down a bit. "They are the Elements of Harmony. The six pillars of friendship that were once wielded by Celestia herself." The unicorn explained as though reciting from a textbook – in all likelihood, she was.

"'Once wielded by Celestia'?" Heart quizzed, then asked the second part of her question. "Who wields them now?"

Twilight smiled and gave a short giggle. "We do." she gestured to herself, and the rest of the ponies trotting around them.

Heart's eyes widened. Twilight was _that_ pony, and her friends were _those_ ponies!? They were the ones that stopped Nightmare Moon, re-imprisoned Discord, _and_ foiled the Canterlot wedding attack? She recalled hearing Twilight talk about the very same events and that they helped, but didn't really clarify that those ponies were the very same wielders of the elements! That's quite the detail to leave out!

Heart's grin grew ten fold. She was friends with heroes! _Squee_!

Twilight stared at Heart's enormous grin, smiling and cocking an eyebrow at the pegasus. "Left that little bit out did I?" She mused.

Heart could do naught but nod, muzzle still open wide.

The bridge loomed before the five as they began to cross the expanse. After a few moments, Heart noticed something strange; an odd change in a certain crazy maned pink pony with party balloons decorating her flank. She kept looking oddly at her rear hooves, and shivering... wildly... as though the air around her was the inside of a massive freezer. Heart stopped short and absently reached up a hoof to stop somepony, catching a flank.

Rarity whirled her head around, possibly about to berate Heart about her manners, when she too saw Pinkie Pie acting stranger; well, strange-_er_.

"Um," Rarity said calmly. "is something the matter Pinkie dear?"

"I don't know," Pinkie said, worry etched across her face, staring down at her rear. "It's another Pinkie sense like the one from Froggy Bottom Bog, but it doesn't feel like a doozie, but I've also never had one like this before."

Twilight whirled around, and out of nowhere a colorful umbrella hat appeared over her head. "What is it Pinkie?" she asked, looking everywhere above her. The hay was she expecting? A piano? Heart couldn't help but smirk at the ridiculous head ware, and imagined Rainbow Dash on her back laughing her flanks off.

However, that smirk quickly bolted out the door when she realized nopony else was smiling. In fact, everypony looked downright _worried_. "Am I missing something?" Heart struggled between mimicking the same worried face or continuing to smile, and decided on blank confusion.

Pinkie took a moment to blurt out in a painfully long ramble what her Pinkie Sense was and how it worked with Twilight translating the run-on spurt into comprehensible explanation. Apparently Pinkie could detect certain events before they actually happened by observing certain reactions happening to her body. At that moment Heart wasn't sure what up and down were as she tried to comprehend what was being rammed into her ears. They twitched with each word as her eyes narrowed slightly. Was there sizzling? The pegasus swore she heard sizzling as it felt liker her brain was frying.

"Um," she cocked an eyebrow and looked up at the sky. "I think my brain just broke."

Twilight smiled sympathetically and said calmly, "I know how it sounds Heart, but it's..." she paused for a moment. "...true. Pinkie can sense things before they happen." That did not console the orange pegasus much, she blinked, and still looked confused. Twilight then turned her attention to the apparently psychic earth pony and asked, "What does it feel like pinkie?"

"Well," She scrunched her face in what might be concentration. "The sensation is like my rear hooves are being dunked in buckets of ice, my tail feels stiff. I dunno what that's supposed to mean but it feels like it's a... massive argument?" She said, confusion apparent. An argument? That isn't so bad. "An argument with mean, scary, bad creatures that nopony likes." Okay, maybe a little bad. "Awe how sad, how come nopony likes them I wonder?" For a moment, Pinkie's mane and tail slightly deflated before perking back up almost instantly. "They need a Pinkie Party!" She hopped once in the air with a manic grin.

"Also my stomach is squeaky," Pinkie stated, rubbing her midsection.

Heart facehooved. How can a stomach be squeaky!?

"And what does that mean?" Twilight asked thoughtfully, her eyes twitching up at the sky again.

"Not sure, but it feels the same as burning right hoof and manic ear." She stated with a shrug.

Everypony seemed to blink in perfect synchronization.

_Okay,_ Heart thought, twitching just a bit. _Not going to ask, I need my brain right now._

Without warning there was a groan from underneath the bridge, followed by what sounded like several sets of claws clanging and scraping against metal, drawing closer and closer with each rap. Everypony looked around in confusion; Twilight though, looked ready to cast a spell should everything go from bad to horrible. From one side over the bridge railing, a massive dark figure leaped out from under the crossing structure, landing several yards away to block the path forward. In quick succession, two more such figures, slightly smaller, also flew into the air to land right by the monstrosity. Together they stood evenly spaced out, blocking further passage down the path of the bridge.

"What in Equestria?" Twilight gasped.

Heart squinted, trying to focus on their features. The far left creature seemed to be squat, maybe only a head taller than a normal sized pony and his – if it was a he – girth matched his height. The color of his hide seemed to be a very dark and depressing blue. He had one big meaty arm up towards his very round face. On the opposite side was, well, the opposite. This creature was tall and thin and seemed to be a fiery red color, almost like the coat of Big McIntosh, but it seemed like an angry flame. This one's arms were crossed across his slender chest, as if he was impatiently waiting for something. The third was the largest of the three, towering over the red one by at least two heads, and he was black as Luna's midnight. Even from here, he seemed to radiate intelligence, a dark and distrustful intelligence.

"Oh! Maybe _that's_ it!" Pinkie declared, pointing a hoof at the three mysterious creatures.

"So, what do we do now? They are obstructing our path." Rarity asked. She looked like she was going to be sick. "Ugh! Have they never heard of a little civility?" Heart looked at the creatures, and because it was Rarity, took special note of their clothing. They wore several articles, but they seemed dirty and torn.

"Well," the purple unicorn answered, thinking with her eyes to the ground. "go up and say 'hi'?" She smiled sheepishly.

Fluttershy shivered with a worried squeak. "B-b-but... they're big... and strange looking." she covered her mouth with her hooves. "I-I've never s-seen creatures like t-t-them before!" She stuttered fairly quickly in her squeamish voice.

"Not to mention garish," Rarity made an icky face. "I doubt their appearance is better than their odor."

Heart had to agree with Rarity, they didn't look like they were a pleasant bunch to be around. Unless her eyes were deceiving her, that red one looked downright _hostile_; like taking one wrong look at him would trigger a furry like Celestia hath no. The blue one seemed harmless, maybe even passive since it seemed more interested in picking at its face. But that black one in the middle, it made Heart's mane twitch furiously. There was something very wrong here.

"Well we aren't going to find out by just standing here," Twilight took a few steps and then rounded to face her friends. "besides, we have a meeting to attend." Her violet eyes looked up at the hat still on her head and quickly removed it.

Heart glanced off at the three again. Watching as the red one tapped its foot on the ground, possibly from impatience. After a few seconds of this, the arms flew into the air and she thought she could hear faint yells coming from him. Apparently he was wishing for the ponies to hurry up and do something.

"I don't know about this girls," the pegasus said, keeping her eyes on the red thing. The black one gave his red comrade a glance, and the red one took his old stance at once; standing there with his arms crossed. The blue one hadn't moved, still picking at something on his round face. Well, well, well, seems the black one is the leader perhaps. Made sense; he was the biggest.

Something else nagged at Heart Phyre, making her chest tighten, an old familiarity that tried to crawl its way against her skull. Several unpleasant emotions bubbled up to the surface. Loathing, contempt, insecurity and depression among the top. Trying to place the unwanted feelings, she only came up with images of Buckson, and a building with many ponies milling about. She gave a low growl and mentally stomped the image, bitterly and aggressively again and again. Heart _really_ didn't want to get near those... whatever they were. For some reason, they stirred very old memories within her, ones she didn't want to remember.

Heart heard voices, but they were occupied, distant, as she stared at the three mystery guests. Mentally, the sound of multiple different voices. Familiar, hurtful words rang unwelcome. 'Blank flank', from a young filly with condescending eyes, wearing emerald ear rings. Several pegasi laughed when an older buck in a hoof ball jacket talked in disbelief when she said she couldn't fly, spouting ridiculous names at her. Then a softly glowing room with two voices shouting angrily back and forth, faces and bodies out of sight. The yelling reached a peak, and suddenly a semi-translucent object with a black label and half full of liquid came straight at her face with a shattering crash as everything went black. Slowly, her wary gaze at the three turned into a misty glare, an intense frown splaying across her face.

A more familiar, and welcome, voice called out a little louder; accompanied by a hoof visibly shaking her. "Heart! Are you okay? What's wrong?" When that didn't work, Twilight grasped Heart with both hooves and _vigorously_ pulled back and forth, causing the pegasus's head to snap back and forth.

"O-okay, o-okay! I-I'm ok-kay!" Heart tried to blurt out between shakes. The unicorn let go of her head, but the world still spun for a few seconds afterwards. She imagined her eyes swirling in their sockets and blinked – several times.

Twilight filled her vision when Heart finally decided to open her eyes and could focus.

"What was that just now?" the concerned mare asked. "You drifted off and started glaring at those three... quite venomously." she added with a touch more worry, and a bit more quietly added. "You looked like you were about to cry."

Heart blinked, and looked over Twilight's shoulder at the rest. Rarity and Pinkie Pie just stared back, halfway in shock. Poor Fluttershy half cowered behind Rarity, fear etched on her shaking face, half of it hidden by her pink mane. Wow, it must have been bad.

Heart enveloped her vision in darkness, and released a heavy sigh, "I don't know. There's something about those three."

Twilight pondered a moment, looking at the deep orange pegasus and the three mysterious strangers, still blocking the way across the river bridge. "They stir uncomfortable memories in you don't they?" she carefully asked.

_Bingo,_ Heart thought, then said flatly, "Something like that." Giving the trio a flat stare instead of a glare, lips in a thin line.

Heart stared at them another few seconds, then remembered the shaking, quickly turning her gaze back to Twilight – who froze as her hooves were about to start grasping her again. The mare backed away quickly with a very embarrassed grin.

"I'll be okay Twi," Heart warmly said, trying to assure the nervous mare. She glanced at Fluttershy as well, and smiled when the other pegasus stopped shaking and came out from behind Rarity.

"Well then let's get moving," Twilight said and began trotting. "I'm sure we're just overreacting and this will be over before we know it and we'll be off to Canterlot and the Princesses!" the unicorn said happily.

Heart resisted a nervous gulp, following her friend. _I sure hope so Twilight._

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

The three creatures were even uglier up close.

Heart winced as the behemoths got closer in her vision. All three of them were bigger than the ponies approaching, even short blue and exceptionally gross (that arm he had to his head was him picking his nose). Poor Rarity wretched at the sight. Short blue and fat had multiple bumps on his face and around the chunky arms that he had. He wore a distant, distracted stare as a long nailed finger picked absently inside his stubby nose, a normal enough looking tongue sticking out to one side. One partially cracked, stubby, slightly curved horn sat on his fat head.

Red was definitely the impatient type; it was etched on his face, and looked like he wanted to shout at us 'what the hay took you so long!'. Heart suspected that the scowl on his face was permanent, and while her own couldn't possibly match his, she scowled back. Just as the pegasus saw from a distance, Red was tall and slender with maybe a bit of muscle. It seemed Red even seethed with barely controlled anger. Two jagged horns jutted out parallel above his eyes, looking sharp and wicked.

Black was by far the most disturbing. He stood two heads taller than Red, and had a lot more muscle, but unlike the other two, he looked cold and calculating; the hidden intelligence of a mastermind gleamed in Black's dark eyes, watching like a predator as Heart and her friends approached them. Three horns sat on his head in an upside down triangle; they were neat, polished even, and curled once like an elder ram's before ending in a tip that seemed impossibly sharp. But that wasn't even the worst part.

It was his smile.

Large, muscular, and just plain scary wore a devilish grin on his face. The kind of grin that would be seen in the face of not a murderer or a psychopath, but of a con-man that could sweet talk a mother out of her foal, and maybe with a bit of mania mixed in. Heart felt her mane crawl as though there were a thousand parasprites setting up shop. All three of them wore somewhat matching rags of clothing, something similar to what she heard Diamond Dogs had worn.

"Oh dear," Rarity wretched for the second time.

The others murmured their own curiosities and speculations. Heart just walked silently, watching the three for any signs of sudden treachery. Saying that the pegasus was tense would be an understatement.

"Hello," Twilight said friendly enough, extending her hoof. "I am Twilight Sparkle and I-"

"I don't care who you think you are!" Red exploded. Shaking one of his long, clawed hands at the unicorn who now recoiled in shock.

Rarity gasped, "H-how rude!" and Red mocked her words in a condescending tone, to which the white unicorn huffed indignantly. Blue chuckled dumbly.

Well, that proved Heart's suspicions about Red being a Mr. angry pants.

Twilight only seemed slightly perturbed, and tried again. "As I was saying, I'm Twilight, and we would like to cross this bridge if you please." The smile worn before was gone and she held her expression as a thin line.

"I-If that's okay w-with you..." Fluttershy added, squeaking behind Rarity.

Red huffed at the yellow pegasus, "I don't think I've ever seen a dumber looking group of girlie ponies." To Heart's surprise, Black rolled his eyes in slight annoyance, his manic grin lessening. "No, it's not okay with me!" Shouting again. "Now take your dumb little picture flanks and _get the hay out_!" The creature bent down low and yelled right in Twilight's face, making her indigo mane sweep back.

Now Twilight seemed very displeased, Heart taking an involuntary step away from the unicorn as her eye twitched. "I'm afraid that is not possible. We need to get to Canterlot, and this bridge is the only way since the tunnel has collapsed. So, if you would kindly..." She gestured a hoof for Red to step aside.

Now Red's eye twitched as his face turned a darker shade of red. Somehow, Heart doubted he was blushing. Before the angsty demon could reply, and boy was he _about_ to reply, Black held up his massive muscled and boiled arm. Red stopped dead in his tracks. The pit in the pegasus's stomach grew as the message became clear; he was definitely the boss.

"What my friend is trying to say," he began in a far silkier voice than should be legal for someone like him. "is that you cannot pass without playing a little..." purring as though making a genuine request. The stone turned to nausea inside Heart's stomach. "...game with us.

"You five must 'convince' us to let you pass," Black continued. "or if your hearts are not up for it, you cannot pass. If you can determine what it is we desire, and put an end to obliviously giving it to us, then you may pass. Simple as that."

It took several seconds for Heart to process this. A game? What for? What was the point?

"Fine." came Twilight's voice.

Everypony did a double take at that. The lavender unicorn, out of all of them, should have been the one to refuse because she was the one that was in such a hurry. Honestly, it took every ounce of self control for Heart not to plunge her jaw through the bottom of the bridge.

As if reading her friends' minds Twilight turned back to them and added, "The sooner we finish their little game the sooner we can be on our way to the Princesses."

Heart wanted to protest. Something didn't seem right about this game they wanted the ponies to play. Everything about it screamed 'trap' or something else that was really bad. Also, was this bridge really the only way across the river? Surely there's another bridge elsewhere, or maybe even a shallow part of the river to cross. Taxi-ing everypony across the river by flight was out. Fluttershy didn't look like she could carry anything heavier than a rabbit, and Heart herself... well...

Heart glanced over the railing of the bridge. The rushing water disappeared and was replaced by a paved tarmac street. Below were a dozen ponies of various color schemes and ages, all of them staring upwards with their wide eyes. Right at the bottom of her vision, two orange hooves, small enough to belong to a young filly, stood perched on the brick of a multi-story apartment building. Muscles tensed, and she leaped off the roof.

Shaking the memory from her mind, the orange pegasus grumbled as she glanced back at her wings, combination of unwilling and unable to fly. The only pegasus that could have ferried them across was at Sweet Apple Acres with a bad cold.

_Great,_ _just another way I can't help others when they need it_, Heart pouted. The thought was less like a passing annoyance and more like stab.

"So what is this little game?" Twilight asked.

"Do you like books?" Black answered with a question.

Before the mare could answer, Blue added. "Pony looks like a dorky egghead." and then he made a curious noise that sounded like 'hadurh'. All the while still picking his nose. Goddesses Heart wished he would cut that out! Breakfast threatened to greet her again.

Red laughed contemptuously at the statement, he enjoyed the insult and the way Twilight bristled. "A real dork for sure! Probably likes books more than her actual friends."

Heart watched Twilight react. The mare's jaw dropped in disgust, but there was something else. She looked almost ashamed for just a brief moment, considering something that she was trying desperately to hide.

"Oh, it must be true." Black cooed. "The evidence is on her face. Is it Twilight Sparkle? You did enjoy books more than the company of ponies... so what about now? Surely sitting at home in that library would be more entertaining than being with your friends." his voice carried some kind of temptress-like snare, like a very well baited trap.

Twilight kept glaring at him, but there were flickers of doubt, that she was trying to hide. Since Rarity and the others were off to the left, several feet behind, Heart had a better view of the unicorn's expression from the opposite side. The betraying thoughts of desiring the company of books over friends was palpable. Heart tried to comprehend it, and found the thought unbearable. Going through school in Buckson without so much as a single friend was... miserably lonely. How could books be any better? Heart felt vaguely perturbed with Twilight.

"That isn't true," she squeaked out, words not very assuring.

"Oh just fess up already!" Red bellowed. "You know you like books more than anything. You live in a _library_ for crying out loud!"

In almost a whisper, Black fed the last nail. "Perhaps you need someone else to tell them the truth since you cannot face it yourself..."

"No!" Twilight screamed. "No, just... no." Heart strained to hear the next words. "I don't want to lose them..." did she mean the books or her friends? For some reason the orange pegasus felt skeptical.

"I-I need to go," Twilight said, then trotted back, clearly shaken.

"Darling?" Rarity tried to catch Twilight's attention. "Darling is everything okay? What did they say to you? Twilight!" she humphed as Twilight seemed to ignore her. "Oh, we'll see about that! It is on!" and she trotted angrily to the three figures for her own turn.

"Now see here," stomping a hoof. "I don't know what you said to my poor friend, but what gives you the right to be so cruel as to upset anypony like that? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"About as much right as you for accusing us of anything." Black replied, looking almost innocent. _Almost_.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow, clearly trying to process the circular logic. "That is beside the point. What I'm trying to say –"

Red cut her off with a vulgar noise from his mouth and added while the white unicorn recovered from her retching, "Eh, prissy ponies are all alike. This stupid pony probably gets upset if you so much as scuff her hoof!" the crimson demon laughed loudly.

"Well I never –"

"Never what? Never gone a week without a hooficure? Never gone a day without having to obsessively brush your mane?" Red mocked. "Goddesses you must be the shallowest pony in all of Equestria. Can you even _do_ anything?"

"Of course I can do things!" Rarity exclaimed, redness welling in her face. "I created beauty from scratch, elegance from air!" the unicorn half posed.

"And what about anything that's actually useful?" Black pointed out. "I doubt a dress has ever helped out with applebucking season. I doubt a tiara could protect anypony from a falling object."

"Well, I suppose not." her usual confident voice wavered noticeably.

"Tell me," Black continued. "would a finding gems spell have been any use to find Applejack's hat? What about when Rainbow Dash needed support for that contest and you bumbled your way in to steal the spotlight? I doubt that was very helpful."

"But even so, that helped Dash perform the sonic rainboom. That helped!"

"Yes, that is true, but that isn't why you joined the competition." Black retorted evenly. "You did it for yourself, to show off, to steal the spotlight because you could. Generosity indeed."

Rarity balked, and sat down hard, considering.

Heart couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, half of those accusations or whatever, had to have been false, but joining the competition that Rainbow was training for constantly? That – that didn't sound like the Rarity Heart had briefly known. Her shoulders drooped, and the once confident unicorn mare had an almost pained look on her face.

She opened her mouth, several times, trying to come back with something. After a moment, she just trotted away, unable to meet any pony's gaze.

The orange pegasus looked on, at a loss for words. Had half of what they said been true? Heart vaguely recalled Dash bragging about her second sonic rainboom, the one performed at the best young fliers competition, and how she had saved Rarity from plummeting to her death. Sure, it wasn't exactly a generous thing to do, but everything turned out okay. Rarity apologized immediately, and everything was fine. So, why did this get to her so much? Perhaps, maybe, it bothered the unicorn more than she let on? She stopped a little ways down the bridge, with still plenty of distance between the forlorn Twilight, and leaned against the rail, slumping.

Heart frowned, she didn't like that at all, and made a mental note to keep an eye on Rarity. One potentially drowning pony was enough for one week.

"Rarity..." Pinkie said in a sad whisper.

Suddenly the pink party pony wore an inscrutable glare at the three towering horned jerks. The sudden change in demeanor made Heart jump, Fluttershy as well, as she slowly trotted up towards the three, and then sat on her haunches in front of them. And waited.

Black cocked an eyebrow over his cold eyes, curiously. Blue stared off into space.

"And what are you staring at huh?" Red asked menacingly.

Pinkie Pie shifted her gaze to Red, and just continued staring.

His eye twitched and his smile visibly strained.

Heart tried to imagine lasting ten seconds under the pink mare's stare, and shuddered. She heard of some of the... odd... things that Pinkie seemed capable of. Popping in and out of nowhere, somehow being able to keep up with Rainbow Dash, and the reaction when Applejack 'broke' a Pinkie Promise. Heart was certain that crossing Pinkie Pie was always a mistake, and _almost_ felt sorry for the three beings towering above her.

"What's so funny huh!?" Red shouted, Pinkie had been laughing at his yelling and bellowing.

"Oh I'm funny now eh?" He shouted some more. Briefly, Heart wondered if shouting like an immature foal could be a special talent, and tried to imagine what that Cutie Mark might look like.

The happy-go-lucky mare laughed happily again, this time with a cute little snort added in.

Red was fuming, and the orange pegasus couldn't help but smirk, imagining steam escaping his horned head. For a moment, Heart worried that he might physically assault Pinkie Pie, but he just stood there, glaring daggers down at the earth pony sitting before him. But it appeared this guy was all bark and no bite. Either that, or he knew his boss wouldn't like violence of action.

Heart chanced a glance back at Black. To her surprise, he was enjoying Red's simmering anger as well. Smiling like he was watching a comedy show, and that almost made Heart's own smile disappear. Black, and indeed all three of them, seemed to revel in the torment of others; even each other. Something was clicking within Heart's mind, screwing up her face in concentration, she tried to pin it down.

She had seen this kind of behavior before, but exactly where eluded the pegasus. Instead it made her heart ache, and a rising bitterness accompanied by a shadow in her mind. It felt like her own sub-conscious was fighting against her, trying to keep a lid on it. Whatever 'it' was.

Pinkie laughed again, dragging Heart from the thoughts going nowhere.

Red, about to scream something else, was again interrupted by Black waving a dismissive arm. "Tell me, Pinkie Pie, do you like parties?"

"Yes! Yes, I do." she said smugly, straightening proudly.

"You _really_ like parties?" Black asked seemingly innocent.

"Mhm! Pinkie loves to throw parties to make other ponies happy." talking about herself in a third person. For some odd reason, that made Heart's eye twitch.

"Are you certain?" Black said with what must have been mock concern.

Pinkie's smile faltered slightly, "Yes, I'm certain. Why?" she asked, confused.

"What I mean is, are you certain you're not... hiding behind them? The parties I mean?" that eerie grin returning as the words dripped from his maw.

Pinkie hesitated, unsure how to respond.

"Maybe you throw all these parties because you're lying to yourself." Black continued, talking in a tone akin to a therapist – if a therapist's job was to drive somepony insane with guilt trips! "Lying, thinking that everypony wants to be your friend, when all you really do is annoy them."

"That's not true," Pinkie said confidently, and yet not so confidently. Evidenced by the slight droop in her smile. "Everypony loves Pinkie parties, they're the bestest in the westest. Just ask Fluttershy!" with that Pinkie thrust a hoof at the yellow pegasus, whom was shaking a little distance away.

The yellow mare gave a wan smile and a slight nod of her head.

"See?" Pinkie said triumphantly.

"Hm," Black hummed. "perhaps, but what about everypony else? And what about you? It seems like you're hiding behind having parties because no pony likes to be around you, so to draw them in, parties are thrown." the midnight behemoth finished darkly.

Heart thought about that a moment. Sure, Pinkie got... eccentric... at times but was never unpleasant; well, with the exception of when Heart first met her, but that was a misunderstanding! The earth pony looked less sure now, eyes darting along the ground with a frown. And was Heart seeing things, or did the puffy pink mane... _deflate_ significantly? The pegasus briefly wondered if this was the same mare, cocking an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Unless I am mistaken," Black turned his eyes towards the sky, deep in thought, while stroking his rough chin. "you even held a party where there were no ponies. Just things." slowly he rolled his gaze back down to Pinkie with a knowing smirk.

Okay, that Heart _had not_ known.

Pinkie's eyes shot wide and the pupils shrank to pinpricks. Whatever Black was referring to, and Heart had absolutely no clue, deeply upset the pink mare. Whatever puffiness remained in Pinkie's mane and tail disappeared with an audible pop, and was now perfectly straight as though she had recently visited a spa. Her eyes, once full of life, were now glazed over and heartbreakingly sad. Even her _coat_ lost much of its luster as depression seeped into the earth pony.

It was all Heart could do to suppress the saddening tears. It was perhaps the most starkest transformation yet. A visible spectacle of such depressing sadness that the pegasus felt as though she had never laughed... ever. Laughter itself was a foreign concept now.

"It's true!" Pinkie suddenly burst into tears, covering her drab pink head with her forehooves. "I do have a problem!" she wailed before dashing away, almost to the other side of the bridge, as if she didn't want to be seen by anypony.

"Pinkie, wait –!" Heart tried to blurt out. Wow, that mare could _move_. Suddenly keeping up with Rainbow on full steam ahead didn't seem so implausible. In ten seconds flat she was well outside shouting range, and thus beyond help without having to track her down.

"Pinkie..." Fluttershy, floating in the air with forehooves pressed against her mouth, said meekly.

Then Heart heard the mocking, condescending laughter from all three of them, even the calm and collected Black couldn't help but join in. Heart scowled, feeling the heat building in her face. That was it, that was the last straw! She was going to give these jerks a piece of her mind!

That anger evaporated into shock and confusion as a pink and yellow blur whooshed past her.

For a moment, Heart thought that Rainbow Dash had arrived, but that was disproved when she saw Fluttershy wasn't sulking in the corner anymore, and now hovered close to the three brutes.

Heart had been wrong before, _this_ was the starkest transformation.

Fluttershy had her teeth clenched, breathing heavily through her nostrils, each exhale expelling what looked like steam. The once soft and gentle cerulean eyes were now hard pinpricks of uncontrolled rage; Heart imagined intense laser beams of death that could disintegrate in a single, mind-melting stare. The yellow of her face turning red with each passing second. Heart trembled in her hooves and suddenly felt the need to whimper and hide, color partially draining from her coat as she stared at what used to be Fluttershy.

"You. Big. MEANIE!" Fluttershy _screamed_ at the three. And even more shocking, they _balked_. Almost full recoil at the sudden change in demeanor Fluttershy demonstrated, coming inches from their faces. "What in Equestria gives you the _right_ to talk to _anypony_ like that! That is _not_ how you make friends! That is _not _how you treat others, even enemies! When people give you crap, give them a slap!"

With that Fluttershy reared up like she was about to _deck _them.

Heart's jaw dropped in horror and shock, and almost didn't register the long, low chuckle from Black as he stared at Fluttershy in amusement. Still blistering with fury, the yellow pegasus halted her would-be assault, cocking an angry eye brow at Black. For almost thirty seconds he dared to continue laughing.

Just when Fluttershy was about to lose patience and resume the clobbering, he spoke up. "Congratulations Fluttershy," he said as though he were handing her first prize for the Best Young Flier's Competition. "you are one of us."

Before the confused pegasus could say a word, he produced a large hand mirror and jutted it out to Fluttershy. She stared at it for a moment in bewilderment, greatly confused but still wearing that scare-the-hide-off-you angry look.

Then _she_ balked.

The steely stare softened, the angry blush disappeared, and the kind hearted visage of Fluttershy returned to normal as she brought her hooves to her mouth in shock. But Black didn't finish there...

Turning the mirror slightly, Heart saw her _own_ reflection now. The face of terror and shock that she still wore from watching Fluttershy transform into a monster, showing that face to the trembling pegasus. Heart quickly tried to change her demeanor, but the damage was done.

"N-nooo!" Fluttershy squealed shakily, her voice choked as tears quickly built in her eyes. "S-She can't return! She _can't_! I-I'm not l-like you, _I'm not like you_!" she retreated to the corner she recently occupied, bawling like a foal.

"Fluttershy," Heart made her way to her crying friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder, but she shook it away in shame. "that wasn't you, it wasn't! And I..." she trailed off, remembering that face she wore moments ago in response to Fluttershy's outburst.

"That wasn't you!" Heart said sternly, simply trying to get the message through.

"_Yes it w-w-wasss!_" Fluttershy wailed between sobs.

Heart was at a loss as she looked at each of her broken friends. Twilight was soaking neck-deep in a tub of self-loathing. Rarity was sulking over the rails, lost and useless, staring down at the water longingly. Pinkie, while she had crawled back closer to the group looked like an addict in withdrawal, unable to let go but incapable of facing the truth. And Fluttershy was dealing with a part of herself that she _really_ did not like when it reared its ugly head; let alone control it.

Everypony seemed to have demons they were trying to cope with, control, or ignore. What demons did Heart possess? Would she break as hard as the others if Black and his friends, with their freaky knowledge of the ponies, used them against her? Surely a meeting with the Princesses, no matter how important, wasn't worth this.

Heart looked up at the sky, almost begging for a better solution, and announced evenly, "Come on everypony. We're going back to Ponyville... back home."

That garnered everypony's gaze. Most seemed hopeful, slightly uplifted by the promises of returning to the happy place of home. All except Twilight, who looked at her like she had gone mad.

"And the meeting?" she asked. "The Princesses?"

"Will have to wait until the train tunnel is cleared." Heart said, stomping a hoof for emphasis. Then she scowled back at the three demons before adding. "It's clear we cannot go this way."

"Giving up so easily?" Black cooed, feigning as though the decision had hurt his feelings. "You still have one more shot, one more un-traumatized pony."

"Shut up." Heart replied sharply, as she trotted slowly towards the other side of the bridge.

"Oh come now," Black said with a hint of amusement. "I thought you were the one that was good with games. If you can't even play one little intsy wintsy game, how can you expect to run a store for games? You'll be out of business in a week."

Heart's gazed turned towards the ground as she stopped. It was a major concern of hers, whether the game and hobby shop would be successful or not. If it wasn't, Halo and herself could lose everything, and would have no choice but to go back to Buckson and get with their dysfunctional parents. Heart struggling to make enough money to make ends meet, Halo going back to being miserable at school, dealing with their drunkard of a father's abuse, and their mother's negligence and tendency to turn a blind eye to it all.

That cracked door appeared in her mind again, the argument was about Heart Phyre and when her mother was pregnant with Halo. Father was upset, and had been drinking, and was accusing mother, several months pregnant at that point, of cheating on him. She swore up and down that she hadn't, but between his stubbornness and the alcohol, he didn't believe a word. Eventually the argument had woken Heart up, and she staggered down the hall to see what was going on. Well, the fight escalated and father threw his beverage bottle out the door, and it smashed – full force – into Heart's face. The end result was a divorce and shared custody. Heart waited until she was of adult age, saving every bit that wasn't immediately needed, for the first chance to get herself and her sister out of there.

Ponyville was their last chance.

"And what about dearest sister?" Black batted his eyebrows at her. "She's happy – isn't she?" His words were poison, and she knew it, but they pervaded anyways.

She gulped, considering how this action would affect Halo and potentially ruin her chance at having happiness with Miss Cheerilee and the small elementary school. Visions of Heart's own experiences throughout school flashed before her. The name calling, the mocking, condescending tones of the high-class ponies that thought themselves better than everypony else. Getting shoved against her locker between classes, spitballs from ponies seated behind her, the constant 'accidents' in gym, and any athletic activities she tried to participate in, and none of the teachers caring enough to stop it.

Heart's eye twitched repeatedly, in tune with each unpleasant memory. She felt weak, drained, like all she wanted to do was sulk and angst over every wrong done to her, and get physical with nearby furniture. She wanted to act out in a big way – her thoughts turned to her father.

_No, _Heart thought desperately, clenching her teeth. _No! I am NOT like him, I refuse to act like him! I am not! I am not..._

_...is that you cannot pass without playing a little game with us._

Heart's eyes shot open, and felt the angry tears that had been pouring down her face. The words spoke in her head, vaguely in Black's snake-charmer of a voice. Play a game he had said, and you still have one more _un-traumatized_ pony left.

_...or if your hearts are not up for it, you cannot pass. If you can determine what it is we desire, and put an end to obliviously giving it to us, then you may pass. Simple as that._

His words. They told them almost exactly how to win. The game, what they desire, and whether or not their hearts were up for the task. It made a vague kind of sense now. What they had been doing, like they were picking out everypony's deepest, darkest fears and manipulating them. Making Heart and her friends suffer from mistakes and...

_Demons inside us_.

Heart gave a low chuckle, almost matching Black's to a tee.

The three demons quieted to listen. "I know what it is." Heart said through the tears that hadn't quite stopped yet. "And you were right... I am good at games.

"All this time you've been feeding off us. You're 'desire' and us 'obliviously' giving it to you. That was our fear, our anxiety, our insecurity. You feed off of the misery of others." Heart coolly explained, but not without bitter contempt. "So tell me, how long have you been here? How long have you been doing this? And do you do _anything_ else?"

The three looked at each other, exchanging glances.

"I'll answer for you." Heart said evenly. "It's truly sad. You're whole existence is to stand there and make others feel utterly miserable to make yourselves feel good. Feeding off of everything that gives a good pony pause. Taking away the things that make them feel good, like a leech. You could go elsewhere, find a different way to survive, but you don't. I can't believe I didn't pick up on it the first time you, Black, fed off of Red's discomfort when Pinkie was staring him down.

"What is it then? It can't be for survival. Changelings are the only creatures that feed off of emotions, and you are not Changelings." Heart stomped her hoof, keeping her gaze level. "It's some sick form of amusement, and you don't have a worthwhile justification for it. Your only reason isn't even a reason at all." Heart never raised her voice, and after a few sentences, all the anger and despair had left her. She was a long way from good, but was no longer in danger of becoming a psychological train wreck. At least, for the moment.

"Honestly, find something that gives yourselves joy, and find comfort in that instead of taking it away from others. For your own sakes." Heart finished, giving each of them a slow look, and slowly trotted towards her friends.

First she went to Twilight. "Twilight?" She said gently, the unicorn looked at her somewhat fearfully. "Liking books is a wonderful thing. It made you smart, it made you strong. They aren't a substitute for friends, but real friends won't be put out with you for choosing to read instead of spending time with them once in a while." Heart waited, and Twilight considered the words carefully, deep in thought. Eventually Heart got a wan smile from the unicorn, and visibly, Twilight already looked more energetic.

Heart made her way to Rarity, whom was still by the bridge railing. "Rarity, everypony makes mistakes. And there is no such thing as a useless pony. Others have told me of how you generously made hoof-stitched dresses – five of them – from scratch, just because you wanted to make some ponies happy. That, is a wonderful thing. And even if you make many mistakes, what matters is that you're sorry, and that you've learned from them."

Rarity leaned back from the edge and stared at Heart, smile growing back on the fashionista. "Thank you." she muttered. Heart gave a curt nod, and went to Pinkie.

"Pinkie," Heart whispered, the straight maned pony barely glancing her way, putting a friendly hoof on her should. "there is nothing wrong with wanting to party with your friends – for whatever reason. Real friends won't simply abandon you for how many – or how little – parties are thrown. An insecurity doesn't have to hold you down and paralyze you." Heart smiled at her, and added in a louder voice. "Party _hard_!" and pulled the earth pony in a tight hug.

Almost instantly, that dismally straight, dull pink mane popped back out with explosive force, and Pinkie laughed heartily, snorting much of the way. "Oh thank you Heart. I was getting bored being a Saddy McDepressed pants!"

That caught Heart by surprise. She wanted to ask, 'what the hay are pants?' but let the subject fall. She had more important things to do.

Heart chuckled, and answered. "Anytime Pinkie."

Now Heart stood over Fluttershy for a few moments. Slowly, she bent over the still sobbing pegasus and lifted her head up, smiling at her. Then, orange pegasus hugged yellow pegasus.

Holding her tightly, "Fluttershy, no matter what outburst you have, no matter how upset or sad or angry you get; you're friends will always be there for you. They will _always_ _want_ to be there for you. They'll toss everything else to the wind, to make sure you're happy. And they'll always love you."

Fluttershy gave a loud sniff, and Heart felt her friend tremble slightly. Then she returned the tight embrace she was offered. "Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"I know Fluttershy. And I forgive you, because you're my friend." Heart held her at arms length, drying Fluttershy's tears for her. She smiled, but still couldn't look up, not yet; and Heart felt it best not to push it.

Heart noticed movement behind her, and looked back at the comforting sight. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie had all joined close to them. All wearing small smiles and looking more like themselves since this whole 'game' had began. Before, the four of them had fallen into a pit of despair that seemed endless. Before, they had given up faith in completing their mission, giving in to the demons of past mistakes and bad ideas that seemed good at the time. Before, suffering from vices that were believed to be laid to rest, but in truth never healed.

Even Heart had those problems. But they seemed long and distant now that she had succeeded in returning a vital element to her friends' happiness...

Hope.

Unbeknown to Heart Phyre or her friends, the golden heart and matching halo that imbued itself on the orange pegasus's flanks, in as short a moment possible, gave the slightest glow.

_-**-_/(o)\\_-**-_

It had been a long time since the sun had been laid to rest, and the light of the crescent moon joined the chorus from the thousands and thousands of stars in the sky. Pleasantly warm air had been replaced by a calm and cooling night time breeze, a single cloud visible, partially obscuring Luna's moon. The night was a direct reflection of tranquility, peace and mystery. Still, many had feared the night for some reason or another.

Heart thought, while she stared up at the glowing orb in the night sky, about the tale of the Mare in the Moon, and the demon that was spawned from it. The same demon that was stopped from eternally eclipsing Equestria by Twilight, her friends, and the elements of harmony. Turned out that Nightmare Moon was really Princess Luna herself – twisted and corrupted by evil.

_But what about how that evil was born?_ Heart wondered.

Even though there was very little information on just how or why the Princess of the night had become the shadowy specter that many (still) feared, there must have been a reason. A cause, an explanation, something that had triggered it. From the tales, Luna was jealous of her sister, Celestia, and how all their subject ponies adored her and the daylight.

_There must be more to it than that,_ Heart frowned, thinking. _Ponies don't just 'snap' like that without significant reason._ She thought about what Black and his friends had done to herself and Twilight and the others. She shook the notion away; the thought of something influencing the princesses like that sending a rancid chill down her spine.

Heart took her gaze down from the sky and back to the warming glow of the campfire they had set up to ward off the chilly night air. Shortly after bringing everypony back from their stupor, Heart had been about to say a thing or two more to the three demons – but when she turned back they were gone. They made no noise, didn't say a single parting word, and it was like they were never there to begin with. Heart had asked Fluttershy to peak under the bridge, see if they had simply returned to their home, but the pegasus confirmed that they were nowhere to be found. Everypony else was relieved, but the thought still nagged at Heart. Where did they go? Until they had disappeared, Heart had fully intended to go back to Ponyville, the demons still had essentially won; but instead they appeared to give up.

Heart glanced around at the ponies surrounding the fire, at her friends.

Everypony still wore wan smiles, like the wounds that had been torn open and left bleeding had already healed to become lightly talked about scars. Even Fluttershy seemed to be doing better than expected. Heart was glad to see it, but couldn't manage a smile herself.

Black had brought very personal fears to her utmost attention. And no matter how hard she tried, she could not banish them from her mind. Heart had a horrible time dealing with the nightmares developed by her time in school and living with the mockery of a family. Until Halo was born, she had next to no hope of things getting remotely better. With her parents ill-fit to care for Halo, she took on that responsibility. She did so to protect her, and it was painful wondering whether or not she had succeeded. A mounting fear had built in her chest at the thought of failing in Ponyville and having to crawl back to that old, horrible life. She wasn't afraid for herself, she could handle it, like she had all those years before.

That fear was for Halo having to deal with the same crud Heart had, so desperately she wanted to keep it from happening.

A hoof nearly jarred Heart from her thoughts, dragging her away from the precipice of the abyss. Slowly, she turned her gaze from the fire and looked into the worried visage of Twilight, looking very concerned.

"Heart," she said gently. "what's wrong? You've been silent ever since we left the bridge behind." Twilight's eyes moved back and forth, searching Heart's own.

Heart blinked, and felt the last remaining tear fall on her cheek. It surprised the pegasus, not even realizing that she had been crying right in front of everypony. It made a crazy kind of sense though, since the action was almost always accompanied by the tight knot tugging in her chest.

"I-I'm fine," Heart lied, stealing a glance at everypony else staring at her. "I'm j-just fine."

Rarity let out a sigh, and spoke up softly. "No, dear, you're not. You've been acting like a zombie-pony ever since. It's really not good for your complexion." Heart didn't smile at the attempt of humor.

Then a hoof took hold of Heart's right foreleg, grasping it tightly. She looked over at Fluttershy, whose flowing pink mane obscured half of her face as she looked at Heart with worry in her one visible cerulean eye. Even Pinkie Pie, mane and tail still vibrantly poofy, stared with concern etched in her face.

Heart's jaw and legs trembled and quivered in tandem, she clenched her eyes as they began to mist over once again.

Then the story came spilling out. "I came to Ponyville to give Halo happiness. Growing up everything was misery after misery." She choked, voice hoarse with tension, but Heart couldn't bring herself to stop. "I _hated_ it, I _hated_ them, and just wanted to _leave_. I would have so much sooner, but then Halo was born and I-I c-couldn't leave her to deal with all of that! I couldn't!

"I struggled and clawed and-and worked my tail to the bone to raise money for us to leave together. H-halo deserved better! Better than what _they_ were doing!" Heart sobbed uncontrollably for several moments before continuing. "I-I d-don't care about m-myself, but if I f-fail, that hope for Halo _disappears_.

"She's so happy here. Happier th-than I've seen her in..." she gasped, sobbing more. "since her third b-birthday..." Heart whimpered. "she...she j-just deserved better..."

Twilight's hoof on her shoulder tightened. "You won't fail Heart Phyre." Heart dragged her eyes from the cold earth. The unicorn's smile was warmer than the glowing embers. "You are an incredibly determined, dedicated and hopeful pony. You've been hurt, you've suffered, and have been unappreciated. But you _endured_, and came out _better_ because of it.

"As you said, you wanted to leave... _badly_, so much so that it hurt to stay any longer, but you didn't, because you knew Halo would be subjected to the same treatment that you had been through. And not attempting to do better hurt more." Heart just listened as Twilight reiterated and analyzed everything the pegasus just said, not knowing how to take what she was hearing. Even if she wanted to say something, the knowledge needed to work her muzzle seemed to have abandoned her.

"The right thing to do is not always the easiest," Rarity slowly trotted a little closer, sitting in front of Twilight and Heart. "but you handled it swimmingly. Nothing shows greater compassion than assisting others at the cost to yourself. You should be proud." the white unicorn smiled genuinely, her eyes beaming softly.

Fluttershy, still clutching Heart's foreleg, looked at her with both of her big blue eyes. It was soothing, calming even, no hint of the fury from earlier; to which Heart was grateful. Smiling wide, the yellow pegasus nuzzled Heart's cheek softly. It made Heart blush a little, but the message was clear. _Such kindness is never unrewarded. One way, or another, that gift is clear. Halo is with you, always._

Heart looked down at the golden bracelets that circled her left forehoof and read the inscription to herself: _Together forever, I will always be there for you._ A wan smile replaced the deep frown. Bit by bit the heavy feeling in her chest slowly dissipated, replaced more and more by a warm fuzzy feeling that was quite welcome.

"I'm sorry," Pinkie almost whispered, just a short ways away from where Fluttershy sat. "that you didn't have fun and smile in your foalhood." The earth pony eyed the ground for a while before reconnecting her eyes with Heart's, and said. "But it's not too late now."

Pinkie began to sing.

"_My name is Pinkie Pie_," Pinkie's usually high pitched voice took on a melodious quality, much to Heart's surprise. "_and I am here to say, I'm gonna make you smile, and I will brighten up your daaa-ay._" Pinkie paused for a moment.

"_It doesn't matter now,_" Rarity joined in, singing with her own voice worthy of a concert hall. "_If you are sad or blue,'cause cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie's here to do..._" The unicorn watching her,

"_'Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile._" Now Twilight added in, the harmony of her own just as surprising. Did everypony in Ponyville sing in their spare time? "_Yes I do, it fills my heart with such an all the while..._"

"_Yes it does,_" Fluttershy now added in her smaller voice, plenty audible minus the typical squeak. "_'Cause all I really needs a smile, smile, smile, from these happy friends of mine._" the yellow pegasus nuzzled Heart's cheek once more.

"_I like to see you grin_," the happy earth pony picked up again. "_I love to see you beam, the corners of your mouths turned up is always Pinkie's dream. But if you're kind of worried, and your face is made of a frown, I work real hard and do my best to turn that sad frown upside downnnn!_"

Rarity joined in and sang simultaneously with Pinkie Pie. "_'Cause I love to make you grin, grin grin, yes I do. Bust it out from ear to ear, let it beginnnn!_" Twilight followed up next to Heart. "_Just give me a joyful grin, grin, grinnnn. And you fill me with good cheer!_"

Rarity and Twilight paused, while Pinkie put a hoof on Heart's unoccupied shoulder and sang slowly, "_It's true some days are dark and lonely, and maybe you feel sad, but Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn't that bad..._

"_There's one thing that makes me happy, and makes my whole life worth while. And that's when I talk to my friends and get them to smiiile._" Pinkie's voice was beautiful, all of them were beautiful. Ever since the song began, Heart felt that looming cloud of doubt lift and disappear. "_I really am so happy, your smile fills me with glee. I give a smile, I get a smile, and that's so special to me..."_

All four of them broke out in chorus.

"_'Cause I love to see you beam, beam beam, yes I do. Tell me what more can I say to make you seeee, that I do. It makes me happy when you beam, beam, beam, yes it always makes my daayyy!_" Heart couldn't help it. Even if she really didn't want to, the muscles acted almost of their own accord, and curled up in a teary eyed smile. She gazed at her bracelet, the happy memories she shared with Halo bubbling above the dreary muck of a bad life left behind. Overjoyed with the prospect of being with such wonderful ponies and good friends, Heart sang along with them, trying her best to match their lyrics.

"_Come on everypony, smile, smile, smile. Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine!_" New tears flowed from the pegasus's eyes, but continued to sing alongside her friends. "_All I really needs a smile, smile, smile. From these happy friends of miiine!_" They repeated this chorus once, then twice more before the song finally ended.

"Thank you," Heart said with a sniffle. The dumps had receded completely, and she felt like she could canter on cloud nine. Nothing was going to stop her from enjoying the life she shared with Halo, and her new friends. Failure or no, successful in Ponyville or not, it was worth every single second. It was worth every day breaking her wings to earn the money needed. Every bit was well spent, every inch well traveled. That, and she knew that no matter what happened, she would always be with them.

"Anytime," Twilight replied, still smiling brightly. Then she looked up at the night sky and announced. "Well, we had best get some sleep. We still have some distance to cover to Canterlot in the morning.

"And we absolutely _cannot_ be late! Maybe we need to get up before the sun rises and –" Everypony groaned. Rarity collapsed in a dramatic faint. The white unicorn was about to go on a rant, likely going to say something like 'go on without me!' or 'oh woe was me!'.

And stopped when she caught Twilight's sly grin. "Gotcha!"

"Oh don't _do_ that Twilight!" Rarity chastised lightly. "Beauty sleep is serious business! Tell her Fluttershy!"

The pegasus blinked in surprise, looking unsure on whether to answer or hide behind the pink curtain of her mane. "Oh, I don't really..." Fluttershy whispered meekly. Rarity huffed and dismissed the comment with a hoof. Heart smirked herself and slowly shook her head at the unicorn's obsession with beauty while Pinkie laughed vigorously, calling Rarity silly.

The group shared a few more laughs before succumbing to sleep for their journey the following day. Hardships had tested their minds, bodies, and souls. With their friendship, they persevered through the fire of the demons. Trials come and go, challenges rise and fall, but friendship can last forever through all the pain.

Heart stared at herself in the mirror, dried tear streaks still evident on her face. Gingerly, the young filly touched the growing bruise on her forehead, wincing at the sharp pain that quickly dimmed to a dull, persistent throb. The wound had bled, but only a little; the blood had already dried, leaving a thin, dark red rivulet running down between her young, emerald green eyes and down one side of cheek.

It had been a bottle of the strange, bad smelling, stuff that Daddy always drank that had soared through the air and struck the young filly in the head. He always drank that stuff when he was upset or mad about something or somepony. Usually at Mommy or something Heart did that she didn't understand. They were arguing again, Heart had been asleep, and she went to see what was going on. Without warning, the bottle soared out of the crack in the door, and found her.

When she awoke, the pegasus filly had been tucked into her bed.

Voices, loud and angry, were still echoing up the stairway through the closed door to her room. Mommy and Daddy were still arguing, even after what happened. They didn't understand that she simply wanted them to stop. To quit yelling at each other and get along. Heart didn't understand much, but she knew that families weren't supposed to act this way. They weren't supposed to fight and hate and throw things.

Mommy had been gaining a lot of weight and Daddy was upset at her for it. Confused, Heart thought it was some kind of game or something, because Daddy had said she cheated and broke the rules. The filly knew that breaking rules was bad, but Mommy apologized again and again, also saying that she didn't cheat and that 'something' was his. If that were so, why couldn't he just forgive her?

Heart sighed as she thought about the fighting that never found an end. Every single day it was something. She hated it. All the fighting, the hatred, and that bad smelling stuff that Daddy drank all the time!

Heart huffed, "Dumb drink." she said aloud to nopony, pouting at herself in the mirror.

Then there were the soft thuds of hoof steps coming up the stairs. Heart felt the panic rising in her little chest, she wasn't supposed to be up this late! Quickly the filly shut off the nearby lamp and dashed under the covers. Just as the door opened, a long sharp crack of light coming from the hallway spilled into the darkened room. Though her eyes were closed, Heart could see the hallway light through her eyelids, she listened.

It may have been Daddy, coming to make sure she was asleep no doubt, as the steps sounded heavy and staggered as they came closer to the bed. The filly fought to control scrunching her nose as the scent of that bad drink nearly overpowered her; yes, it was definitely Daddy.

Heart froze as the light of the hallway dimmed in her closed vision. He must have been standing directly above her now, looking down at her. A faint, wan glow surrounded the blanket that protected her, and lifted it slightly. Then, Heart felt it clumsily tuck a little too high, partially covering the filly's face. Daddy gave a slight grumble that was followed by a gulping noise. Heart didn't dare move, if he found out she was awake and trying to fake it, he might hit her. Especially if he had been drinking a lot of that stuff.

There was a long, low sigh, and more hoof steps announced that he was leaving.

A few seconds later the glow from the hallway was gone, and Heart was plunged into darkness once more. She waited for the hoof steps to gather more distance before opening her eyes and adjusting the comforter so it wasn't smothering her face. She stared at the ceiling, mind blank except for the constant, dull throb from her forehead.

It wasn't happy here. _She_ wasn't happy here. The fillies and colts at her school didn't want to be her friend; they bullied and teased her about being scared to fly, being in a socio-, sociaeco-, some word she didn't understand, and just thought she was bad. She would go to the teachers, but they just ignored every plea she made. Daddy would drink the bad smelling stuff and get really mean. Mommy would just sit in a corner and let it happen. The worst part was she couldn't understand why.

Why weren't they happy? Why were the other ponies so mean to her? Why didn't the teachers help her? Why did the bad smelling stuff make Daddy so mean and why was Mommy so quiet? None of it made any sense no matter which way she tried to think about it.

The room turned red and blue and back again over and over.

Curious, Heart got out of bed and looked out the window between the open blinds. There was a white and red carriage outside with symbols she was vaguely familiar with. She recognized them as ponies to call if you were injured or very sick. Two ponies in dull green clothes lead a weird bed with wheels, and on it was Mommy as they raised the rolling bed into the wagon. Mommy didn't look well, her chest heaved fast and she was sweating – a lot. Arms and wings alike were limp, some straps being the only thing keeping her from falling off the funny looking bed with wheels. Daddy followed close behind, for once not levitating a bottle of that smelly stuff with him.

Heart, while concerned, wasn't confused in the slightest. The red and while carriage had been to the house before numerous times. None of them happy. She knew Mommy and Daddy were going to the hops- hospy-, the place that made boo-boos go away, and that they would be back soon enough.

Anxiety gone, Heart settled back down in her bed. Drifting off to sleep always took time, what with the traffic noise that always flowed from the street below. Eventually the small filly fell into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

Heart awoke the next morning to a surprise. No pony was home.

Again, this didn't come as a horrible shock to the filly. Mommy ran out often and Daddy would often go to places called 'stable bars', whatever those were. What was so interesting about a boring old line bar anyway? Either way, having the house to herself was very enjoyable.

Over time Heart experienced herself using the tools in the kitchen. It started off as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with fresh daisies. Eventually Heart got brave enough to use knives to cut vegetables and fruits and make salad concoctions and other goodies. It was something rare that she didn't get to do often, and she liked it a lot. Recently, she successfully made her own vegetable soup using the stove for the first time.

Today she kept it simple and just made a quick salad, being careful to put everything back exactly the way it was. Grateful that the day wasn't a school day, Heart read Daring Do novels and looked through fantasy books about Star Swirl the Bearded to pass the time. When that got boring or her head started to hurt, she practiced braiding her mane in a ponytail and tying the yellow bow she fondly wore. Being alone always got Heart antsy, and she soon found herself cleaning the house. She had always heard that that was supposed to be Mommy and Daddy's job, but they never did it themselves; or at least not very well. Smelling Daddy's bad drink was bad enough without smelling the rest of the house too.

The time passed quickly and soon the sun and open skies had been replaced by the moon and the stars. Heart had just finished cleaning up after a late night snack; a leftover apple fritter which she had experimented on with melted chocolate. It wasn't that good, but it gave the curious filly ideas about what would go good with it.

Then Heart heard the slight screech of a taxi wagon's brakes outside the front of the house. Quickly, she put the last dish away and dashed back upstairs. It was already passed that time and she didn't want to get in trouble.

Like the night before, she faked sleeping in the bed. Although she couldn't escape the feeling that something was off. It was something she was so used to and only now that it wasn't there did she notice it was not there to be noticed when both Mommy and Daddy were home at the same time.

Silence.

Well, not complete and utter silence, she could hear them moving and whispering in shushed tones. It wasn't like them to be so quiet. The yelling and screaming was almost always there and, for some reason, it wasn't anymore. Slowly, Heart crept out of bed and made her way to the door, pausing, listening.

No hoof steps, nopony was coming upstairs yet.

Slowly, Heart weaseled through the door and tip-hoofed down the hallway to the top of the stairs, and laid down softly. It was a safe place to eavesdrop on what was going on.

The whispers were coming from the living room.

"Try not to wake her," Mommy whispered softly.

"Yeah, yeah." Daddy huffed just as quietly, soft movement that was likely him.

"Do you think she'll be surprised?" About what?

"Meh, I don't know." Heart felt confused, a surprise? For her? That made her suspicious.

"So, what about Heart's room?" That perked the filly's ears up. Now that the conversation turned in her direction.

"Well, we'll have to clear a lot of space." Daddy seemed to speak slowly, unsure, with the hint of a slur in his voice. Heart's pulse crept up. _Clear space?_

Mommy sighed, "Hmm... I suppose it's for the best then. She'll be upset for sure, but do you think she will understand?" Mommy seemed... apera-, apprahu-, not very sure.

Daddy took his time answering, and for a moment Heart thought he wasn't going to, until he spoke up softly. "Yes. Maybe. I don't really know." he stammered.

The filly felt numb.

A surprise that might make her upset? Something Heart wasn't going to like, but it was 'for the best'? Huh? Clear space for what? The filly thought about it, and figured they must have been talking about her room, her stuff; not that she had much. And what wouldn't she understand? They were clearing room for something... then... then...

_They're getting rid of me!?_ The numbness doubled.

That must have been it. Why else would they talk in such hushed voices when they got home? Why would they talk about her behind her back like that? That must have been it, it had to be! Heart felt sure of it. The filly's jaw trembled as fresh tears made their escape.

_Fine,_ she thought angrily. _If they don't want me anymore then...then...maybe I'm better off _without_ parents!_

Upset and frustrated, Heart silently made her way back to her room. She grabbed her saddlebags and dumped out the school contents and began packing. It didn't take long, she didn't have much. A hoof full of toys, a coloring book, and her favorite Daring Do novel. Along with a couple changes of her yellow vest and bow.

Opening the window as quietly as possibly, Heart made her way down the metal walkway of the fire escape. With some difficulty, due to her small body, she clambered down the ladder and onto the concrete sidewalk.

Perhaps a bit sadder than she meant to, Heart looked at the bright window that was once her home. The curtain was drawn, but there was enough light to display the silhouettes of her parents sitting on the couch, talking about Heart behind her back still. That thought made her bristle, and any other doubt about what she was about to do vanished.

Eyes to the concrete, Heart started to slowly trot down the street, head racing with what she was going to do now.

A sudden wailing cry sounded from the direction of her home.

Heart jumped in the air with an _eep_, completely surprised by the shrill noise. She balked into a fetal position, shielding herself with her little hooves. Heart thought that her parents had somehow discovered her escape and was fully expected punishment that never came. The wailing banshee cry continued, and when she looked up at the window, there was rapid movement. One silhouette, Mommy recognized by her poofy, curly mane, was rocking something back and forth in her arms. Daddy could be seen moving back and forth looking for something in the background.

Ever the curious filly, Heart crept up to the window and peaked in a crack exposed by the curtain. The light blue mare with a minty green mane – Mommy – held a blanket wrapped bundle in her forehooves. Her ears twitched as the screeching became louder, make it stop! Heart shielded her ears with her hooves, gritting her teeth.

Daddy returned levitating a clear plastic bottle with white fluid in it, an odd shaped... thing... attached to the top. Mommy wrapped her wing tip around the bottle, and gingerly moved part of the blanket with the other wing.

A cute, little, creamy orange face with a tiny flock of two-toned orange mane, and big green eyes popped out. Heart's jaw dropped. A foal! The wailing subsided as the infant started sucking on the strange thing on the bottle, feeding. The filly failed to suppress a _d'aw_.

So that's what it was? _That's_ the surprise?

Heart looked back at her saddlebags, and back at the now quietly feeding foal – her new baby brother or sister. Should she stay or should she go? The filly looked up at the night sky, searching for the right answer.

If she left, she would be free of everything bad here. If she left, she could possibly find something better. Heart thought about that a moment. There were relatives she could escape to, and Heart knew how to get there without too much trouble. Heart had also heard about things called 'orphanages', where fillies and colts could get new parents. The idea was tantalizing, intoxicating. New home, new parents, new... family. Happiness.

But...

She looked back at the newborn foal. She, after looking closely at the eyes, would be stuck here with Mommy and Daddy for quite a while. When she grew a little older, she would have to deal with the same school Heart went to. This truce between her parents wouldn't last forever, and eventually her sister would get caught in the crossfire.

Heart thoughtfully rubbed her forehead, where a bruise was trying to heal.

She hoped her sister would make friends in school, but she knew what those fillies and colts were like, and it seemed dismally doubtful. Worst of all, if Heart left, she would have to deal with all of that alone... like Heart had done for all her life. And Heart hated being alone.

The pegasus filly sighed, looked at the foal, and smiled.

Heart wasn't going to do that to her, wasn't going to let her face a dark world alone. Not if she could help it, and be there to support the new life. There was still a massive part of Heart that wanted to leave, just say 'forget it' to the foal and her old life, and try to seek out happiness with either relatives, or a brand new family. But the other part knew that staying would be the right thing to do, and it was far more insistent.

And with that, Heart made her way back to the fire escape and back up to her room. She unpacked the saddlebags and put the school supplies back where they belonged.

Lying in bed, trying to get to sleep, the filly thought about the positives of this turn in events. She thought about the fun she could have with her new sibling. Playing, laughing, sharing, and what made her own heart glow was protecting the foal; the opportunity to help her through all the tough times that were bound to happen... to give her sister what she never had.

A friend.

As the filly drifted off in the black embrace of another peaceful sleep, a soft white glow bled through the fabric of the comforter in the area where Heart Phyre's flanks were. It only lasted for, maybe, a few seconds before dying, and plunging the room back into darkness.


End file.
